Music Video Analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0tsm0EhCJM
In One Ear
The artist for this song is the Kentucky based alternative rock band Cage The Elephant. The producer for this music video was Jay Joyce, and the director was D.A.R.Y.L of Pulse Films. The record label was Relentless. The target audience for the music video is young adults, as the themes covered in the song are stereotypically what young adults experience as they go through life e.g. rebellion, being misunderstood.
There is a slight narrative to the music video, which is that the main character is a patient in what seems to be a mental asylum, and he escapes by the end of the video.
The shots for the music video vary between being extreme close ups, and medium shots to create a cramped effect. There are no transitions other than cuts. There are some moments that were edited to create an abstract effect (e.g. when the woman became the main singer screaming).
The main character is dressed in a patients gown, and all the other actors are in plain clothes. The lighting is very intense and white incident light, so as to highlight everything. They used a green hammer and some a heartbeat monitor, as well as the instruments used in the song. The acting had a slight immaturity, which went with the meaning of the lyrics of the song (I don't care what you think or say).
It is successful because it blends fast shot lengths with close up shots and high lighting to make the audience feel like they are right next to their favourite artist.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma9I9VBKPiw
Fluorescent Adolescent
The artist for this song is the band Arctic Monkeys. The producers are Mike Crossey and James Ford. The director for the music video was Richard Ayoade. The production company and record label was Domino Recording Company. The target audience is young adults, as there is some violence, and the narrative is very abstract.
The video is about a clown and a mob boss who were childhood friends but are now enemies and at the end, the mob boss dies. The filter on the video makes it look vintage. The camera work is made to look amateurish by filming it with a hand held camera. Half of the actors are in clown costumes and the other half are in mafia style clothes. The acting is very minimal and the main prop used is a car, which gets blown up at the end (with the mob boss in it).
The video is successful because it is out of the ordinary, which makes it memorable.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8-tXG8KrWs
Reptilia
This song is by The Strokes. The producer and director was Jake Scott. The production company and record label was Black Dog Films. The target audience is very broad, but seems to be mainly aimed at fans of the song, as there is no narrative to make it appealing to people who are not already fans.
The video consists mainly of extreme close ups of the artists and their instruments. Near the end of the video the screen splits into four sections, each showing an instrument. The band is dressed in casual clothes to convey the message that they are just casual and having a good time.
It is successful because it shows the band playing the song, which is what fans of the song want to see.