Video Analysis- Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon- Use Somebody (Sony Music 2008)

Typical Conventions of a Rock Genre Music Video:

1. Males are usually the subjects of the video while women are represented as the objects of the video
2. Often a use of dimness, shades in the video are often dark

3.Rock videos are often shot at night as oppose to shooting the video during the day

4.There is often an element of performance where by the band are performing on stage in front of screaming crowds.

5.Clips of the video often contain backstage footage

6. There is usually a form on male bonding through typical gestures such as 'high fiving' and laughing

7.A typical instrument shown throughout rock videos is guitars

8.Costumes are usually similar consisting of dark colored casual clothes

9.Videos are sometimes shot in black and white

10. Juxtaposition of binaries of light vs dark

11. They particularly have fast movement consisting of tracking/crabbing/panning shots along with fast paced editing too create the idea of lots of movement

12.Close ups of vocalists during emotional scenes

13.Throughout there are often close ups of instrumentalists hands playing instruments to show its them playing the instrument

14. Of all shots, wide shots are the most popular in the rock genre representing the band together signifying unity.

15. Cross cuts of narratives performed by characters rather than band members

Deconstruction of Video:

Genre- The video represents typical elements of the rock genre, as stated in the list above one of the main features of this video is shots of the band on tour through backstage footage away from the music video representing their lifestyle as band members. The element of performance is also used in this video as there is footage of huge crowds at Kings of Leon's concerts. There is also of dark colours such as sepia representing a typical element of the rock genre. The band members are also represented as tattooed, long haired individuals, a typical generic convention of rock.

Narrative- Throughout the video tracking shots of footage, tracking aerial shots of cities and close ups of singers is used giving the idea of life on the road bringing loneliness. The combination of juxtaposed shots such as tracking aerial shots with close ups of the singer signify stillness/loneliness suggesting the artist needs a special someone this is something that stems from the lyrics being 'use somebody'.

Representation- The band is represented as having a 'jet setter lifestyle' through shots of the band hanging out in hotel rooms over looking cities of buildings at night. The video is mainly male oriented, a typical convention of rock genre the only female seen in the video is used as a part of the narrative of the song and is therefore used as an object, the female seems to be the subject of the males sorrow. There are also shots of the unity in the band, the band are represented in shots laughing together and sharing hugs after a concert that they deemed successful this gives the impression that the band are close and comes as one. To emphasise the idea of loneliness the lead singer is seen in close ups with cross cuts to busy shots of the band representing his sorrow because hes lonely.

Audiences- Throughout the video there is plenty of opportunity for audiences to feel close to the band, the representation of backstage footage of the band on tour and the band members laughing, joking and 'hanging out' allows audience to feel a closer connection to the band as they are able to gain an insight into there lifestyle. The lyrics of the songs are relatively sad and close ups of the lead singer allows audiences to emphasise and feel closer to the band member.

Analysis- Opening wide shots of the band hanging out in a hotel room looking over cities gives the audience an understanding of the type of narrative the video is going to have as this look sets the tone of the rock genre. Montage of shots suggest busy lifestyles and touring typical activities of a band. Sped up shots also suggest the idea of a busy lifestyle but however also build the story of having such a busy life but still feeling such loneliness and a result of not having that special person. Fast paced editing also keeps audiences on edge and engaged in the video as it gives a sense of mystery of whats going to happen next in the video.

Institutions- Kings of Leon have been a band in the background of the music industry in the US since 2003 while creating fans also in the UK. 2008 was the year for Kings of Leon there smash hit "Sex Is On Fire" made the band much more established was made much bigger than previous releases. In 2008 they were also signed to Sony Music, won a grammy and were nominated for NME awards, Q Awards, Mtv awards and various others. They sell out concerts, have launched fashion lines, and appeared on well established magazines such as Q magazine, NME and Esquire. Sony as you can hold great value of Kings of Leon because of there ability to sell as a result of the huge followers the band has.

Shots Used In The Video:

Close up shot- A  close up shot of the singers face is shown revealing all facial features, this shot conveys his emotion in relation to the lyrics of the song. It emphasises how he is feeling and causes the audience to emphasise with him. This creates a connection between the audience and the singer allows the audience to relate there own situations to the singers problems.

Colour Change- The colour of scenes changes throughout the video. This allows us to see a connection between the use of colour in different shots showing when the singer feels at his highest and at his lowest.

Long Shot- Long shots of the band in concert on stage and the audiences are shown. This makes audiences want to buy tickets and go to the concert through the performance element(Firths theory).