Background Information
This
Jonze
In
terms of the music industry, Jonze notably created music videos for Fatboy Slims
Praise You (B), The Beastie Boys Sabotage (C), Weezers Buddy Holly (D) and
Arcade Fires The Suburbs.
The
The
The
short film, inspired by the album itself, was nominated for three best short film
awards.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(E)
(D
)
Musical Cadence
A
Cadence
The
From
Rhyme
The
Arcade
Rhyming
In the suburbs I
I learned to drive
And you told me we'd never survive
Grab your mother's keys we're leavin'
(F)
Song Structure
The
As
you can see, this track unconventionally doesnt feature a middle-8 th,
or bridge as it is commonly known
Throughout
Moreover,
the average pop song lasts from 2-4 minutes. This track lasts
for 5:17 minutes so towards the end, it is clear the song has almost
finished and the audience expect closure.
music video for Arcade fires The Suburbs features several different
narrative units .
These
They
There
are many varying narrative strands within this music video. For example,
the relationship between Winter (Paul Pluymen) and Zoe (Zoe Graham) (G), the
relationship between Winter and Kyle (Sam Dillon) (H), Violence and brutality (I)
and several others.
Each of these strands develop and change and the audience anticipates them
to all tie together and create a sense of closure. They contribute to the
development of the characters as well as the general narrative so their
progression throughout the music video naturally leads to expectations of a
conclusion.
(G)
(H)
(I)
many music videos, it can be argued that The Suburbs also features a typical Todorovian, 3
act, narrative structure.
1) Act 1 takes place from 0:00 to around 1:54. During this act, the lighting is bright and bold and
the group are having fun and spending time riding their bikes (J). Due to the positive mise en scene
and action in this act, we associate it with youthfulness and enjoyment.
2) Following the shot at 1:54, of the two kissing under a bridge (K), we transition into act two. In
this section, a theme of violence and police presence begins to creep in and the joyful playing is
replaced with shots of soldiers, weapons and they are fighting (L)
3) Act 3 begins at 2:50 where the lighting and coloration dramatically shifts from day time to night.
The group are still riding their bikes (M). There also additional shots of military personnel and
vehicles (N). The transition from day to night in association with shots of the military/ police imply
that the youthful, nave enjoyment expressed by the group at the start of the video has been
tainted by the military's presence in their suburbs. In a sense, their childhood has been ruined
overtime by the violence and brutality the military has brought to this town.
The
use of this typical narrative structure adds to the anticipation of closure as the audience
realize that the narrative may be coming close to the end. The shift in lighting, although having a
symbolic purpose, gives the sense of a time passing and the audience expects it to be the final act.
(J)
(K)
(L)
(M)
(N)
BMX/ Cycling
In
addition, at the start of the video, they are all cycling around on the streets (O)
The
use of cycling acts as a narrative driver as it constructs a sense of movement and literally
moves the narrative forward.
The
shots of the bikes at the beginning of the video add to the sense of childhood fun and enjoyment
One
of the last shots is of Kyles bike which has been destroyed/ broken (P), presumably by Winter.
This
is symbolic of the deterioration of their innocence and youth, corrupted by the almost invasionlike military presence.
The
evolution of the BMX/ cycling throughout the music video is a strong example of Barthes
Symbolic Code.
Previously
on my blog, I defined the Symbolic Code as a character, action or object that symbolizes
an exterior meaning. it can be used to contradict, challenge or represent a wider message within a
narrative. In a way, it is like a visual metaphor.
The
BMX is a typical use of the Symbolic code as it represents deterioration of the groups
adolescence and relationship over time. It also hint at closure because we perceive the them of their
friendship as having come to an end.
(O)
(P)