This could be seen as a fairly mainstream video due to the initial slow motion shots of an attractive waitress, showing the male gaze, pan’s up of her and slow motion of her face whilst smiling and blinking further shows this. I think that the record label would have a massive role in creating this artists promotional texts, because in this genre of music, even thoug its more about the artists talent and the emotions that they bring to the videos with there performance, he is to some extent marketed himself to fit the genre charachteristics making him to some extent pseudoindividualised so this video
isnt breaking with adornos theories, since the video does give a sense of false needs and acts as a type of social currency.
The video is a cut between two lines of action of the artist performing in a coffee shop, and many different characters gazing at something unknown to the viewer. This is fairly typical of this genre of music since it demonstrates genre characteristics. This is something we will definitely think about when constructing our video. At one part of the song when he says “dream catch me” there’s a show of a dream catcher in a car,
showing Goodwins idea that there are relationships between lyrics and visuals, no matter how subtle they are. There are a lot of meat shots in the performance part, and the narrative part of the video. Showing a performance with more emotion and adding emphasis to the gazes of the people in the narrative.
I don’t really see how this video could be considered as art, although I don’t really have much of an eye for art, due to the fact that it isn’t particularly original and shows many genre characteristics, although it has a good narrative, keeping the audience wanting to know what’s being stared at however I believe that the message purpose throughout the video is one of wanting to break from the normal routine of a fairly dull job, such as a taxi driver and a waitress, and having the confidence to move on with your life and follow your dreams,
(hence the title dream catch me, and why in the video people seem to be breaking free from there lives) and become happy. I believe that this is the message since, the waitress; taxi driver and newspaper salesman are fixed in a gaze in the narrative and won’t take notice of anyone else, possibly connotations that they don’t care about anyone else any more and are just doing what they want to do. When they leave there jobs and walk out, they both seem a lot happier and content within themselves, so the performance of the narrative is crucial to the message of the song, again conforming to Goodwin’s idea that there are links between the music and the visuals.
Meat shots of smiles and the gaze are used to connote this to the main extent, and a relatively slow cutting rate, which adds emphasis to the performance. The meis-en-scene is also important here, showing how the two main actors are working in relatively poor jobs that want to escape from them, which wouldn’t work if they were in better jobs, doing what they really want to do.
Since this video follows many genre characteristics it doesn’t come under the category of being post modern. There are no intertextual references that are obvious; however I’m sure that the use of everyone gazing at something is an intertextual reference. However the performance creates many meanings to the audience, the three main characters are obviously breaking free from there normal lives and doing something they wouldn’t normally do.
The artist is represented In a very positive light, since his performance is very emotional and personal, which is the exact theme that he is trying to portray, there image/star persona is definitely constructed threw the music, showing his musical talent, rather than just having money thrown at him threw marketing, to end up with a really famous, talentless artist. This helps sell there product because there is a big fan base for this genre of music, and they care about the music and emotions in it rather than material goods in the video and looking good.
I think he video also connotes the idea that music is an escape for people, somewhere they can go where they arent troubled by burdens put upon them and responsibilities, its just somewhere where they can go to relax. (which shows dyres theory to be correct.)
There aren’t many different social groups represented in this video, I suppose that a woman working in a coffee shop is a bit of a stereotype, however there are men that are gazing also at what seems to be nothing which doesn’t show that women are being unjustly represented, and also all of the actors seem to be from similar origins, so not many different social groups are being represented in different ways.
Gender isn’t represented in a particularly bad light in this video, this is due to male and female characters being put in the same situation and gazing at nothing, just in what seems to be deep thought, and coming to terms with what they want to do with their lives. It represents people of the age group of mid twenties, people who might not know exactly what there doing with there life, working at a job that doesn’t inspire them at all, one that they just have to get by, then having a realisation that they have to take risks to do something different and have a better/happier life.
What have i learnt from deconstructing this video?
In conclusion I believe that the video is fairly generic of others in its genre however the narrative is well thought threw and adds more of a meaning to the video. however i think that it to some extent hasnt really broken with any conventions, it follows genre charachteristics but has alot of good shots, ideas and techniques that we will be using in our video.
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