Pumped Up Kicks - Analysing music promo

            

Foster the people 'Pumped up Kicks' - Category-PERFORMANCE

American indie-pop band 'Foster the people' were founded in 2009 and signed with record label 'Columbia Records' & 'Startime International'. The band have since released three albums, 'Torches' - 2011, 'Supermodel'- 2014 and 'Foster the people' - 2011. The band originated in Los Angles, and became a great success after their release of their song 'Pumped up kicks' in 2010. The song remained in 3rd position on the Billboard hot 100 in the United states for multiple weeks. Their music is described as 'dance-infused'- according to Wikipedia:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster_the_People. They continue to play a significant role within sustaining the Indie pop genre.

Song Lyrics:

Robert's got a quick hand.
He'll look around the room,
he wont tell you his plan.
He's got a rolled cigarette
hanging out his mouth.

He's a cowboy kid.
Yeah! He found a six-shooter gun
in his dad's closet, with the box of fun things.
I don't even know what,
but he's coming for you. Yeah, He's coming for you!

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, outrun my gun.


All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.
Daddy works a long day.
He be coming home late, and he's coming home late.
And he's bringing me a surprise.
'cause dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice

I've waited for a long time.
Yeah the sleight of my hand is now a quick-pull trigger.
I reason with my cigarette,
Then say, "Your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah?"

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.


(Run, Run, Run, Run. Run, Run.
R-Run, Run, Run.
R-Run.
R-Run, Run, Run.
R-Run.
Run, Run.
Run, Run.
Run, Run, Run.)


All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.
All the other kids with  pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, outrun my gun.


All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

Song lyric analysis:

Through careful analysis of the song lyrics and carrying out lots of research online I have managed to gather a rough understanding of the meaning behind the lyrics...

I think this song is about a young child at school (perhaps at an American High school) planning on carrying out a killing spree on his class mates. 'Robert's got a quick hand. He'll look around the room, he wont tell you his plan'. (First verse) - this verse is talking about the boys hesitation towards his mind-blowing plan, as he lingers around debating whether he should go through with the killings or not. The mention of Robert being a 'Cowboy kid' is purposeful for creating imagery of the child acting powerful and feeling almost heroic, the kid is therefore enjoying his time before murdering as he awaits with his six-shooter gun. The chorus sings 'All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,You better run, better run, outrun my gun.All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,You better run, better run, faster than my bullet'. The chorus is saying how Robert aims to shoot all the "cool kids" with the "pumped up kicks"- (meaning stylish trainers). The boy is laughing at the fact that the boys won't be able to run faster than his bullets with their trendy new shoes.

So from analysing the meaning behind the songs lyrics, there is a high chance that Robert is under the influence of either drugs or is suffering from a mental illness. The fact that the child has the need to specifically kill kids with trendy sneakers (presumably due to jealousy) suggests that Robert is badly affected mentally as jealousy is capable of leading him to extreme hatred towards innocent people. The continuous repetition of verses possibly resembles that Robert is hearing negative hallucinations in his mind, telling him to commit these dreadful crimes.

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Mise en scene:

Location: The first few seconds of the music promo display a boy cliff jumping into the ocean from quite a height. The event does not seem organised or hazard-free, it seems like a rebellious event which teenagers have chosen to partake in for the thrill. The next scene is filmed in what looks like a basement or even a dark unlit indoor carpark. No synthetic lighting is present which hints at the idea that filming took place in the late hours of the day. The only source of brightness are the staged flashing luminous lights which are creating a party atmosphere for their pop-indie genre. There are clips of young teenagers dancing to their music in front of the stage, this shows that they're in a venue which can contain a group of perhaps 'fans'?

At 00.19 an outline of a door can be visualised, with the scene of perhaps a cafe beyond. Natural light floods the room and reflects onto members of the audience. The doors of the venue may have been opened to a larger space to provide room for the capacity of people, or even to provide ventilation.

 At 00.24 there is a scene of a guy walking on a rooftop in daylight, there are tall flats in the background and a wide spread advertisement which maybe implies that the band members were performing in a venue located in an industrial estate/city.

 Soon after at 00.32 there is a vintage styled footage of one of the band members driving their tour bus along the motorway. Travelling after their performance suggests that they may be heading to their next concert. The director has continued to incorporate snippets of the band hanging out on various rooftops. This is where they are away from fans and the heat of the moment, it is a place where they can be private yet free in-between performances. The promo starts to change scene at a quick pace to perhaps entice the viewers and to create a build up towards the chorus. The different locations include sidewalks, recording studios, different venues and towns.

At around 02.39 the video converts into black and white and all of a sudden the band members are roaming around free at the beach, the freedom which they're exerting depicts a sense of danger which they're oblivious to as they surf on waves at great speed. Relating back to the lyrics, the group are seem to be the "cool kids" immune to the potential dangers of the speed and the surf. The video proceeds for another 2 minutes or so, reinforcing the fact they they're free by continuously repeating scenes of happiness and their touring success.

Costume and Makeup:

 The band members are dressed in very simplistic clothing, for example skinny dark coloured jeans and either plan or faded band t-shirts. The cool yet plain styling assists in providing no distraction from their enthusiastic faces during their performances, and close-ups of their instruments. 

GIPHY: Example of the clothing/makeup

Colour and lighting:

 Overall there is low-key lighting which is caused by an overlaying colour adjustment in post-production. The majority of the scenes are dark as the band are performing in either a studio or a darkened basement. It is obvious that the Director wished to maintain a darkened effect as the entire scene filmed at the beach is converted to black and white, apart from the surfboard which is left as red. Perhaps the blackened effect is purposeful to resemble the dark hidden meaning behind the song lyrics. Luminous stage lights are visible during some of the performance scenes, this is perfect for depicting a party atmosphere.

GIPHY: Example of camera work

Camera work:

 The majority of the clips switch to one another at a very fast pace, a variety of different shots are used to display different instruments, peoples reactions and to establish the setting/location of the scene. The music video moves at a quick pace to resemble the hectic lives of the band members as they travel from one destination to the next performing. At 00.12 a close-up shot of hands playing the keyboard is shown, the shot is blurred to depict the fast motion of the beat. Multiple un-sharpened shots are included, this has been done to almost partner the quirky instrumental which is quite difficult to interpret the instruments used. All shots are landscape and therefore do not require a border to outline the frame. Clips of the band members performing and walking tend to be low-to-high shots. This empowers the members and clearly highlights their success and they're seen to be the main focal point of the promo. The shots are rather unsteady throughout, and seem as if they have been filmed without a tripod and instead free-hand. This effect can often make the audience feel dizzy as our eyes are unable to rest on a clear shot for an average period of time. Camera angles are at a slight tilt, this may have been done to mirror the care-free vibe of the song. The most frequently used shot is the 'medium-close-up', this camera technique is used to display the movements and gestures of others.

Deconstructing and analysing music promos

Analysing Music videos: Gengahr-'She's a Witch'

             

An example of a narrative based music promo:

Gengahr's 'She's a witch' is a perfect example of a narrative based video. The video is set around the 1 around the Medieval time period. The act of dunking was used to test whether women were guilty to witchcraft. Dunking was a form of live entertainment for the locals, the theory stated that if they were to sink it shows innocence, alternatively if they floated on the surface it was an indication to 'witchcraft' and would immediately be executed. People truly believed that witches had an advantage over others, the power of magic. They were believed to have the ability to improve hunting skills, grow crops faster, and to even make females and Gods animals fertile. Mankind at that time was very superstitious and lacked knowledge. As they did not have the material and resources to prove what caused illness and disease, they would simply blame superstition.

Mise-en-scene: (Setting & Location)

Definition of mise-en-scene:

noun

1. 'the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play'
2. 
   

Location:

I unfortunately could not gather too much information about the location of the music promo online. This may be because the new/upcoming band has not had too much recognition yet, therefore facts online are minimal. However, at first glance I can clearly see that the the video is located in a rural area to depict the lifestyle of villagers in the medieval times. There are a wide variety of trees bordering their area, they appear to be casting shadows which convey a sinister atmosphere. The homes within the village are featured, they appear to either be the peasants houses made from sticks and straws which once accommodated animals along with humans. Or perhaps early-period medieval cottages for women and nobleman. Inside the homes there are pheasants hanging which were presumably hunted for clothing and food. The camera follows through a slight tunnel which is formed from stone and overgrown grassland. Soon after there are low-to high shots of the witch standing on what seems to be a rocky surface up high overlooking the murky water which she soon to be 'dunked' in.

Make-up and costume:

To match the time period the band have chosen to represent, the cast are dressed head to toe in English medieval clothing. Their clothing is more for practical purposes, as it appears to supply warmth in a rather no-flattering way.  The actors/actresses either have socks udones on their feet or ankle-high weak leather boots. The colour choices for clothing are very dull, mostly browns, blacks and greys. The majority of the cast are dressed in shapeless tunics with dirty cream shirts underneath. The men either wear a traditional medieval felt hat or Cucullus styled hood. Women on the other hand are wearing coif hats or not hat at all. The main character of the supposedly 'witch' is dressed in a navy blue faded gown/robe. The richness of her ginger hair colour contradicts beautifully against her outfit, making it obvious to the viewer that she is playing a significant role within the music promo.

Focusing on the makeup of the cast:

The cast have very natural, close to even no makeup on. Their skin appears pale and drained with the occasional rosy red patches to show unfortunate burns from the sun. The majority of the females hair is mad in knotty curls, and shades of vivid ginger and dark tones of brown are noticeable amongst both genders. Bruises and bleeding from attacks are painted on very realistically, allowing the audience to seek the authenticity within the narrative.

Lighting:

The lighting seems authentic as it is set outdoors and I presume the Director was aiming to achieve a natural effect to mirror the exact surrounding of that time period. The only source of light other than the sun, is open flames which are carried by the cast. The flames create a warm glow against the scenery and the faces of others. Tiny candle-lit flames are positioned within the house to enhance the brightness, also the window next to the girl purposefully casts a bright beam of light over the chair she has been sat in. Through careful analyses I think that filming took place in the early hours of the morning. My reasoning for this is because the video starts off quite dark and gradually becomes  lighter over the course of the day.

Focus Group, what I have learnt from analysing Gengahr 'She's a witch':

Although I am focusing on 'indie, alternative rock' and this genre of music is purely 'indie-rock' I have still managed to note down the vital factors which help to form the indie-rock genre. One major factor is the colouring of the promo, the neutral dull colours creates this effortless natural effect which I believe most indie-rock bands try to put across. This genre of music videos lack vivid colours and saturation in props and lighting, for example the video was filmed in the early hours of the morning, therefore sombre lighting was to be expected. Another factor i've noticed is the to association with nature, whether this may be because filming took place outside, or perhaps shots of greenery and flowers were incorporated into a frame. An example of this is Gengahr's - 'Shes a witch' which was filmed over a wide spread of greenery where the Director filmed villagers running across fields and near the rocky edges.

A few more examples of nature in indie-rock videos:

Arctic Monkeys 'Snap out of it'
INDIE ROCK GENRE

Foster the people 'Pumped up kicks'
INDIE ROCK GENRE

Two door cinema club -
'Something good can work'
INDIE POP GENRE

The xx - VCR
INDIE ROCK GENRE 

Vampire Weekend - 'Oxford Comma'
INDIE POP/ROCK GENRE

Florence and the machine - 'Rabbit heart
INDIE POP/ROCK GENRE

This is just a small collection of the indie/pop rock videos which incorporate the essence of nature within their promos. The inclusion of nature is symbolic towards the freedom which young teens are capable of feeling and experiencing. The colour green is associated with 'growth' and 'harmony' which perhaps supplies a chilled atmosphere for which teenagers feel comfortable surrounding themselves in.

The narrative storyline within 'She's a witch' partners nicely with the song lyrics. Perhaps this is because the band are trying to appeal to a younger audience and do not wish for a contradicting video which may confuse their viewers. An example of the lyrics partnering with the narrative is when the band sing ' Maybe She'll sink, maybe she'll fly' and the camera focuses on the actress which is being tied down to the chair. Moments after when the lyrics 'maybe she'll fly' is sung, the camera tilts towards the pheasants hanging from the ceiling to resemble the word 'fly'.

Example is below:

Examples of Andrew Goodwin's theory

Andrew Goodwin - Categorising music videos

We can categorise music videos into three different categories. These are 'Narrative', 'Concept' and lastly 'Performance'.

Narrative: A music promo with a storyline, generally mirroring the lyrics and type of genre.

Concept: The Concept within a music video is when the director focuses on portraying a unique style which engages the audience as for its quirkiness.

Performance: A performance based video will tend to have multiple shots of the singer and perhaps shots from a concert/festival. Having shots from previous performances is a way to promote the band.

An example of a Narrative based video:

Aerosmith's release of the song 'Crazy' in 1994, was accompanied with a music video featuring a narrative based storyline. The music video was created by film director 'Marty Callner' and was featured number 17 on the Billboards top 100. Singer/songwriter - 'Steven tyler' wrote the song based off a crush that he once had. The song lyrics are about a women who appears and disappears from his life and therefore drives him 'crazy'.

The visuals and song lyrics link and therefore make this video a 'Narrative' promo. The video features two American High School girls escaping from their school out one of the side windows. They drive away in a black Ford Mustang, laughing and feeling rebellious. The two girls stop off at a car station and use their good looks to fool the cashier into needing money. With the money the girls next head to a pole dancing competition. Therefore 'Voyeurism' is present to intrigue the male audience. The girls are announced winners of the dance competition, and choose to spend their night in a local motel. The next morning they continue with their travels where in which they encounter a young, attractive, shirtless farmer driving a tractor in the country side. They ask him to join them on their journey, where they drive to a nearby lake and all go skinny dipping. The girls take off his clothes and leave him naked in the lake. The guy runs from the lake towards the girls driving away, he finally catches up with them in their retro convertible. Throughout the entire video there are frequent snippets of Aerosmith performing live. The incorporation of the band performing increases the authenticity of the video and increases the fan base as the lead singer is featured.

An example of a 'Concept' based video:

Foo Fighters released one of their best singles 'My hero' in 1997. The song lyrics do not narrate the visuals, but instead they discuss the actor, as they sing 'there goes my hero'. This is clearly a concept based promo as it is formed from one singular idea which is unique and serves the purpose of informing the audience about the danger of a house/street fire. The video is located in what seems to be an American neighboured (presumably, as for the band are from America) . There has been some kind of fire incident which has spread down the row of houses. The locals are gathered outside their houses in distress pleading for help as they have left their loved ones and belongings inside. The director focuses on the 'hero' who takes the chance of risking his life to save others. This individual is made the focal point of the promo, however we never see his face. Instead we are shown his back, it is noticeable he is wearing a red polo top. Perhaps the stylists chose to dress the hero in red to enhance his presence, as the colour 'red' never goes un-noticed. Or perhaps the coloured top is purposeful to resemble connotations of danger as he is choosing to step into the scene of a fire. I feel as if the Director has chosen not to feature the actors face, as he wishes to create enigma and base the heroic figure of his actions rather than appearance. Throughout the video the hero manages to save a young baby, a puppy which is curled anxiously in a bathroom sink, and a photograph of the baby's mum. Every room which the actor manages to go through has a member of the band singing casually. Almost as if they're oblivious to the situation. The end of the promo follows the actor outside where he passes over the photograph he retrieved and unites with the neighboured, forming this sense of 'community'. This video proves that the band itself do not have be the focal point of the promo, as within this situation it is the 'performance' which delivers a far more powerful message.

An example of a 'performance' based video:

'Nothing but thieves' are an alternative/indie rock band, their release of the song 'Lover, please stay' in 2015 is a prime example of a 'performance' based music promo. The video is set in what seems to be an rundown old building. The location is hard to clearly make out as there is low-key lighting and the only source of synthetic lighting are the spotlights, directed towards the band. The song lyrics are thought provoking to perhaps those in a relationship or individuals which have feelings of love for another. The entirety of the video is performance based.

Although the band unite as a whole, the vocalist is made to be the focal point to the promo, as he is positioned front on to the camera and the director has chosen to film more shots of the vocalist in comparison to his fellow musicians. The duration of each individual clip mirrors the song lyrics the long lasting notes, as the Director rests the camera on each shot for quite a long period of time. This is to resemble the softness of the song, as fast paced shots would completely contradict the lyrics and styling of the romantic genre. The simplicity of the video allows the audience to appreciate the performance without the influence and distraction of back-up dancers, unnecessary props and lighting. It seems as if this is a clean cut of the bands 'live' performance as the vocals and instrumental sound diegetic, and do not sound as if they have been applied within a recording studio during post-production.

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin theory 

I have carried out research about film critic 'Andrew Goodwin' and below are my findings:

Film Critic, 'Andrew Goodwin' was born in Sydney in 1979. He majors in noticing the main key features within music videos, his theories have been appreciated and noticed by the film industry. The features he has recognised has led many on to apply them to their own work to appeal to their target audience.

His theory is based upon eight main principles which are listed below:

 1. Links between visuals and lyrics. The visuals are made to reinforce the message behind the lyrics. 

 2. The link between visuals and music - (this may be links which contradicts, compliments, amplifies)

 3. Genre Characteristics  - therefore applying features which link with the genre of music 

 4. Intertextual References 

 5. Voyeurism - the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviours, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions usually considered to be of a private nature. - (dictionary definition)

 6. The notion of looking, objectifying women, sexual references

 7. Categorising music promos into three different sections 'Performance', 'Narrative' and 'Concept'

 8. Representation of the artist (demands on the record label), the idea that particular genders are likely to listen to particular genres of music. The stereotype that women are objectified 'sexually' to please the male audience, and men are displayed 'sexually' to appeal to a female audience. 

Brief introduction

Brief Introduction,

I will be using this blog to document my A2 Media Studies coursework. For A2 G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media, I have been given the following brief:

Candidates are to produce a promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with a digipak for the album's release and a magazine advertisement for the digipak.

This blog will display my findings and development towards my final product. I hope for my final piece to be of a good standard which will appeal to my set target audience. All evidence of my findings collected along year will be presented in the form of multiple blog posts formed on Blogger.

Preliminary task - 'I know' Tom Odell music video recreation

Preliminary Task (Recreating a Music Promo - mastering lip syncing)

Here is my AS preliminary task, the task was to recreate a music video. I chose to recreate Tom Odell's 'I know' music promo. This project gave us the chance to practice mastering lip syncing. In order to perfectly match the song with the lip movement, we played the track in the actors pocket so they could clearly hear the lyrics and connect with the timing of the song. The video was edited on Final Cut Pro. At times we had to change the speed duration of our videos to match the song lyrics. Overall I thought this was a very exciting task as it enabled us to experiment using the software for music editing, and practice the art of lip syncing.