Music Video Analysis - The 1975: Somebody Else
Directed by Tim Mattia, the 'Somebody Else' music video opens with a monochromatic prelude that is seemingly a continuation from their previous newly released music video for 'A Change of Heart'. A notable creative technique as displayed at the start of the video is the introspective and musing two minute overture that is devoid of the track itself, but however features an eerie non-diegetic laughter-track in which evokes feelings of mockery and humiliation. The central theme of the music video focuses deeply on heartbreak and the self-destruction one goes through when going through a break-up, the audience follows the lead singer, Matt Healy, on this road of self-destruction as he looks for solace through alcohol and a one-night stand.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS AND LYRICS
The relationship between the visuals and the lyrics seem to be fragmented, as Healy is seen to be lip-syncing some of the words to the song, but is however involved with pushing the narrative forward as well. Upon further glance, the music video is evidently a conceptual piece, although holds true to some conventions of a typical performance piece i.e. such as the lip-synching. Inference can be made through the symbolic nature of the video as the events that unfold throughout the media text follow a narrative that can be distinguishable with the effect of heartbreak, such as the reliance on alcohol to forget and outwardly, boisterous behaviour as evidenced through a quick, wide angled mid-shot of Healy throwing a skateboard.
GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
The genre of the music video is established through various camera shots and even the clothing that the singer, and other characters in the video are wearing. Typically, leather clothing would be associated with the rock genre, however, in this video, a multitude of characters are seen donning leather attire adding to the 'grunge' appeal of the video. As a band, The 1975 are known for their 'Indie Rock' and 'Alternative Rock' music; with the genre conventions being upheld and reinforced throughout the video with quick-cut shots that intensifies the downward spiral the lead singer faces whilst experiencing heartbreak, sombre, low-key lighting and a host of wide angled mid shots that clearly identifies the lead singer; a repeated convention that pertains to the genre of Rock and/or Indie music videos. Another poignant convention worthy of note is the irrefutable repeated motif of alcohol; which happens to be another convention that is typically associated with the rock genre. A wide angled shot captures the intimate moment between barkeeper and Healy as his dependency on alcohol increases throughout the video, accompanied by warm, low-key lighting.
INTERTEXTUALITY
Intertextuality throughout this music video can be observed through the reference to some of their other songs and features that hold symbolic value to the actual band. A blatant attempt at intertextuality is the neon sign that reads 'GIRLS'; which is a song performed and released by the band in 2013, in which the lyrics suggest that 'girls are there to inevitably break your heart, but don't realise that they do, as they just use their looks to get what they want'. This very poignant intertextual reference alludes to the idea that the song, 'Somebody Else' is a run-off from 'Girls', as the cynosure for this song revolves around a broken heart. With the aforementioned point about the monochromatic interlude, this mini-featurette holds significant intertextual value as it is a continuation from the previously released music video for 'A Change of Heart'; wherein Healy dons clown attire, and in this vignette, he removes all make-up which adds to the sombre effect of the music video.
PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT?
This music video is heavily driven by narrative, more so than a performance concept; as it focuses centrally on the lyrics and how it could then be spun into a short film that revolves around adding visual creativity to the lyrics in order to make them more appealing to the audience.
LINEAR OR CLOSED NARRATIVE?
What is interesting and potentially unconventional about this music video, is that it is a continued narrative from a previous music video by the band. Because of this, it is evident that it follows a strict linear narrative and almost indefinitely stays in line with the lyrics being represented. However, an identifiable creative technique of the music video is that it continues on a linear narrative path, but then jumps back to certain scenes in which aspects of the scenes are different, this is evidenced through the screenshots of the video below. This technique ultimately allows the audience to identify a creative outlet through juxtaposing reality and dream, centred around Levi Strauss' Binary Opposites Theory. Based on Todorov's Theory of equilibrium and disequilibrium, this music video exhibits no equilibrium whatsoever, and instead continues on with a series of unfortunate events that unfold as a result of heartbreak.
LOOKING/MODE OF ADDRESS
There is a myriad of close up shots of Healy, yet there is no time in which he directly addresses the camera; thus alluding to the idea of a disconnect between audience and band member. This distance is established as the mode of address is significantly minimal to none, therefore reinforcing the idea of which Healy experiences detachment from the audience, perhaps drawing a parallel to the heartbreak he is currently feeling, evidenced throughout the video.
STAR TREATMENT
The music video only portrays one band member throughout it's entirety; the lead singer. This may be poignant as his is distinguished through varying camera shots such as extreme close-up shots in which his emotion is captured and relayed through to the audience and centres around his own heartbreak. Lighting-wise, low-key lighting tends to be evidenced in all frames surrounding Healy, as to to continue the melancholic theme throughout the video.
MIS-EN-SCENE
Tim Mattia opted for a creative outlet in which to convey the subliminal message of the song, through varying degrees of juxtaposition, repeated motifs and intertextual messages that are parallel to the bands former songs. The music video in itself follows the path of self-destruction someone faces when dealing with heartbreak, so as to provide the appropriate conventions associated with the topic, Mattia uses a multitude of scenes wherein low-key lighting reflects and highlights the melancholic emotions experienced by Healy. The screenshot above captures a frame in which Healy is isolated and alone in his car, with post-production editing providing a cool, blue hue in an effort to eliminate any enigma surrounding Healy's feelings (i.e. a feeling lonesome, wallowing). Colour Psychology is used effectively throughout this video, leaving the audience with the ability to blatantly infer the underlying message conveyed through different scenes through the use of colours. For example, the scenes in which the strip-club is portrayed are always surrounded by purple and pink hues, indicating passion and sensuality; two common associations with an environment such as that. Turning attention to the clothing, Healy always dons black, and sometimes leather clothing, in which to create the enigma of mystery surrounding his heartbreak, as the 'heartbreaker' per say, is left entirely ambiguous throughout the music video. Disempowerment and empowerment feature heavily throughout the video, as exhibited through low-angled and high-angled camera shots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bimd2nZirT4
The relationship between the visuals and the lyrics seem to be fragmented, as Healy is seen to be lip-syncing some of the words to the song, but is however involved with pushing the narrative forward as well. Upon further glance, the music video is evidently a conceptual piece, although holds true to some conventions of a typical performance piece i.e. such as the lip-synching. Inference can be made through the symbolic nature of the video as the events that unfold throughout the media text follow a narrative that can be distinguishable with the effect of heartbreak, such as the reliance on alcohol to forget and outwardly, boisterous behaviour as evidenced through a quick, wide angled mid-shot of Healy throwing a skateboard.
The genre of the music video is established through various camera shots and even the clothing that the singer, and other characters in the video are wearing. Typically, leather clothing would be associated with the rock genre, however, in this video, a multitude of characters are seen donning leather attire adding to the 'grunge' appeal of the video. As a band, The 1975 are known for their 'Indie Rock' and 'Alternative Rock' music; with the genre conventions being upheld and reinforced throughout the video with quick-cut shots that intensifies the downward spiral the lead singer faces whilst experiencing heartbreak, sombre, low-key lighting and a host of wide angled mid shots that clearly identifies the lead singer; a repeated convention that pertains to the genre of Rock and/or Indie music videos. Another poignant convention worthy of note is the irrefutable repeated motif of alcohol; which happens to be another convention that is typically associated with the rock genre. A wide angled shot captures the intimate moment between barkeeper and Healy as his dependency on alcohol increases throughout the video, accompanied by warm, low-key lighting.
Intertextuality throughout this music video can be observed through the reference to some of their other songs and features that hold symbolic value to the actual band. A blatant attempt at intertextuality is the neon sign that reads 'GIRLS'; which is a song performed and released by the band in 2013, in which the lyrics suggest that 'girls are there to inevitably break your heart, but don't realise that they do, as they just use their looks to get what they want'. This very poignant intertextual reference alludes to the idea that the song, 'Somebody Else' is a run-off from 'Girls', as the cynosure for this song revolves around a broken heart. With the aforementioned point about the monochromatic interlude, this mini-featurette holds significant intertextual value as it is a continuation from the previously released music video for 'A Change of Heart'; wherein Healy dons clown attire, and in this vignette, he removes all make-up which adds to the sombre effect of the music video.
This music video is heavily driven by narrative, more so than a performance concept; as it focuses centrally on the lyrics and how it could then be spun into a short film that revolves around adding visual creativity to the lyrics in order to make them more appealing to the audience.
What is interesting and potentially unconventional about this music video, is that it is a continued narrative from a previous music video by the band. Because of this, it is evident that it follows a strict linear narrative and almost indefinitely stays in line with the lyrics being represented. However, an identifiable creative technique of the music video is that it continues on a linear narrative path, but then jumps back to certain scenes in which aspects of the scenes are different, this is evidenced through the screenshots of the video below. This technique ultimately allows the audience to identify a creative outlet through juxtaposing reality and dream, centred around Levi Strauss' Binary Opposites Theory. Based on Todorov's Theory of equilibrium and disequilibrium, this music video exhibits no equilibrium whatsoever, and instead continues on with a series of unfortunate events that unfold as a result of heartbreak.
LOOKING/MODE OF ADDRESS
There is a myriad of close up shots of Healy, yet there is no time in which he directly addresses the camera; thus alluding to the idea of a disconnect between audience and band member. This distance is established as the mode of address is significantly minimal to none, therefore reinforcing the idea of which Healy experiences detachment from the audience, perhaps drawing a parallel to the heartbreak he is currently feeling, evidenced throughout the video.
STAR TREATMENT
MIS-EN-SCENE
Tim Mattia opted for a creative outlet in which to convey the subliminal message of the song, through varying degrees of juxtaposition, repeated motifs and intertextual messages that are parallel to the bands former songs. The music video in itself follows the path of self-destruction someone faces when dealing with heartbreak, so as to provide the appropriate conventions associated with the topic, Mattia uses a multitude of scenes wherein low-key lighting reflects and highlights the melancholic emotions experienced by Healy. The screenshot above captures a frame in which Healy is isolated and alone in his car, with post-production editing providing a cool, blue hue in an effort to eliminate any enigma surrounding Healy's feelings (i.e. a feeling lonesome, wallowing). Colour Psychology is used effectively throughout this video, leaving the audience with the ability to blatantly infer the underlying message conveyed through different scenes through the use of colours. For example, the scenes in which the strip-club is portrayed are always surrounded by purple and pink hues, indicating passion and sensuality; two common associations with an environment such as that. Turning attention to the clothing, Healy always dons black, and sometimes leather clothing, in which to create the enigma of mystery surrounding his heartbreak, as the 'heartbreaker' per say, is left entirely ambiguous throughout the music video. Disempowerment and empowerment feature heavily throughout the video, as exhibited through low-angled and high-angled camera shots. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bimd2nZirT4
Charlotte this is another fantastic music video analysis that covers all areas in detail. An excellent piece of work showing great awareness of theory and media language. Well done.
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