Music Video Analysis: Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity

Music Video Analysis: Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity

Jamiroquai's music video for 'Virtual Insanity' is most notably a conceptual piece. Released in September 1996, Jonathan Glazer combined oddities that were then amalgamated into an aesthetically bizarre and unorthodox, conceptual music video for the hit song. The video is the epitome of intrigue as the audience are shifted back and forth between blank settings with only one object being the focal point, such as the couch or the cockroaches. An interesting feature of the music video is the use of special effects which gained notoriety from critics as a moving floor was typically seen as unconventional during the time period of which the video was released. 

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS AND LYRICS

A baffling yet interesting music video creates great intrigue for the audience as they try and determine a relationship between the visuals and lyrics, of which, there is one. The setting of the music video is agreeably bleak, and is evidently filmed in an enclosed room with featureless, white walls, a moving grey floor but is accompanied by intense, luminous high-key lighting. Lyrics often speak of impending technological advancements and how the future could be drastically altered if we don't heed to these advancing concepts; which in one sense, would marry with the visuals as a typical convention of the "concept of technology" would be the sleek, featureless, white coloured surfaces of objects or rooms, as seen in the music video. An example of the relationship between visuals and lyrics is where the song starts with "who can tell what magic spells", and it seems as if Jay Kay is as if by "magic" coercing the chair over to him, but it is in fact the moving floor. The bleakness of the video could be of significance as it detracts from any obvious message that could have been easily relayed to audience through use of colour or objects that are indicative of any subliminal message, but is perhaps symbolic of the emptiness that humanity could face with advancing technology.

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

As a band, Jamiroquai are known for their outlandish 'acid jazz/funk' genre, which is typically a combination of dance, disco, jazz and soul music. Albeit, there are no significant genre characteristics displayed throughout the videos entirety as I believe that the band wanted to encapsulate the harsh reality of technological reign if humanity lets it go too far. The absence of colourful settings, such as multicoloured lighting, commonly associated with a club setting and the genre of 'disco' coalesces together with the entire subliminal message of the video that is indeed reinforced through the bleak setting. However, a convention of the 'disco' genre that seems to have been retained is that of the precise and 'funky' dancing by lead singer Jay Kay, of which wide-angled mid-shots capture this. A constant that remains throughout the video is the intense, luminous high-key lighting that could be associated with the genre of the music, especially the genre of funk, although, not in its entirety. Other than the minimal genre convention mentioned, there are no significant genre characteristics present within the video that audiences can identify, other than the overlaying track and the dancing. The setting, of which is of ultimate significance in order to relay the message of the song is stark, and therefore offers no deeper meaning to the audience. 

INTERTEXTUALITY

There was no notable intertextual links that I could infer from this music video, as it seems to be based purely on the message of the actual song lyrics, therefore created entirely for that purpose and is absent of any other relation to other media forms. 

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT?

At first, it would seem that the music video offers nothing interesting to the audience, aside from the lead singers 'funky' dancing. But considering that this video is heavily conceptualised, it offers the audience with an underlying message through it's progressive, cyclical narrative. The video takes the audience through the world of 'Virtual Insanity' through slick but fast camera angles, in which the camera suddenly jolts up to the ceiling, then brings the audience back down into the room but with the seating arrangement changed. As well as this room change, it also takes the audience into an entirely different room where Jay Kay is seen side by side with six men who remain in a statuesque state, clinging to the wall.  Performing throughout the song is in the hands of the lead singer as he lip-synchs to the song, but it fails to capture the rest of the band, therefore is limited in the "all inclusive" performance aspect of the entire band. 

LINEAR OR CLOSED NARRATIVE?

It could be inferred that the music video follows a cyclical narrative in the sense that it brings the audience through to different settings, but ultimately ends up with the original setting, therefore completing the cyclical, structured narrative of the video. There is only evidence of a singular, linear narrative throughout the music video, making it less complex in its execution, but as the purpose of the video is to "educate humanity", it would be appropriate that the music video was devoid of a complex narrative, as it conveys the message quickly and effectively to the audience.

LOOKING/MODE OF ADDRESS

Throughout the video, there is a variety of extreme close-up camera shots that capture Jay Kay's lip-synching and facial expressions, which would have an effect on how the audience receive the song. The close up-shots show how involved Jay Kay is with the music and how there is no evident disconnect between performer and audience.

STAR TREATMENT

The video only focuses on lead singer, Jay Kay, through various wide-angled camera shots and notably excludes the remaining band members. This was done with intention, for example, in terms of star recognition and based on Richard Dyer's 'Star Theory', Jay Kay would have been utilised as a pivotal tool in order for the audience to recognise and become increasingly influenced by what he is trying to convey throughout the song. Jay Kay is probably the most well-known band member from Jamiroquai, therefore the intentions of the record label would be that considering that he would already have a wider established fan-base than the other band members, he would have been used as an influential person to convey the subliminal message. A technical feature that backs this claim would be that there is no use of high-angled camera shots when the audience is shown Jay Kay, thus eliminating the idea that he has been empowered or disempowered, but instead is shown to have equal status throughout the video. If he was empowered with low-angled camera shots, the audience wouldn't feel compelled to listen to the message behind the song, likewise if he was disempowered with multiple high-angled camera shots, the audience would be dismissive. 

MIS-EN-SCENE

Through it's entirety, the video pays homage to the idea that as the future progresses, humanity could become enslaved by the rapid advancements of technology if we don't take initiative and solve the problem first. A special effect that could be inferred as having a deeper meaning is that of the moving floor laden with a variety of couches, but yet, still remains astonishingly minimal. It can be inferred that this feature is used to illustrate the idea that as a race, we are constantly moving but ultimately, we aren't going anywhere if we let technology hinder our ability to progress and evolve as a society. Jay Kay is seen to be walking and dancing on this moving floor, but still remains in the same position, which further reinforces this idea. Colour Psychology is introduced to the audience yet again through the dismal, two-toned, almost monochromatic colour palette of the walls, floor and surrounding objects. The cold colours invokes no feeling at all, aesthetically it is far from pleasing and ultimately conveys the emptiness that would ensue if we were to become controlled by technology. There are two symbolic features within this music video; the cockroaches and the crow, both contributing to a contradicting message. Cockroaches are typically impervious to outstanding forces and can withstand anything, but could be indicative of an underlying message that as humanities impending decline continues, these will be the only remaining creatures that withstood humanities neglect of emotions and it's society due to the infatuation with technology. Likewise, the symbolism behind the crow is that of it is typically associated with death or decay, much to mirror the subliminal message of the video. However, through it's positive connotations, the crow is often admired as a messenger, commonly associated with delivering omens. Therefore, representing hope and the potential breakthrough in human neglect as we stand together to change humanity for the better. The crow is seen through low-angled, wide-angled, tracking shots, which in turn creates the illusion of an overseer, and slightly disempowers the audience. There is no evidence of diegetic sound, perhaps alluding to the idea that audiences would be distracted from the message of the video, and is instead compelled to listen to the song as it resonates its message.

Furthermore, it can be concluded that such minimal features (i.e. the cockroaches/crow) contribute to the reinforcement of the overarching message of the music video, as shown through a variety of shots, absence of vibrant colours and lack of aesthetics.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JkIs37a2JE