Music Video Analysis; Q2: Representation

2. Representation: OneRepublic – All The Right Moves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCXxWNrUing



The historical context of this video sets up the setting of around 1800-1900’s, which is supported by the use of warm colours such as orange, gold and brown; sepia lighting, costume, the boy introducing the act (OneRepublic), the traditional dance hall location, the masks that are worn by the dancers and the style of dancing that they perform, and the use of a cello and organ (instruments used commonly in music of this era).
The young boy – assumingly hired by the masked man in the black suit to dig for money – is a social issue that can be associated with everyday life, in the sense of bands busking for money or individuals charging a fee for entertainment.
The use of masks for the dancers to wear depersonalises them, instead directing them to become figures in unison (like a community). So with the use of tracking camera movement to reflect their dancing, this makes the video appealing for the audience. As the music builds up in instrumentation at the chorus, the editing speed and the dancing speeds also quicken. By doing this, this makes the video more exciting and appealing to the audience and gives a feel of match on action in respect to the pace of movement in the video.
By avoiding giving the dancers an identity, this allows the video to focus more on the band as they are then not compared to the dancing figures, but the dancing figures made into dancing along to the band. Shots are most often used as an establishing shot of the band on stage (2:36) – which is also done by including dancers which are shaded out to be made into silhouettes with use of key lighting on stage where the band are situated (2:17). Other shots that are used are close ups of the band instruments such as the guitar (typical to the genre) and also mid to CU shots of the lead vocalist (who without a mask, is concentrated on to bring character and personification to the lyrics (artist/band beliefs)). Band image is highlighted in the way that the clothes they wear are not from the time period that the dancers are set in, so with the lack of identity of the dancers (which makes them a collection of their time period), it gives the sense of OneRepublic using their band image to state independence (the intro shots of the masked faces staring at OneRepublic and them staring back set the sense of opposition) and the modernisation of their music with use of electric guitars not used in music of the 1800-1900 era.
The lyrics themselves are in context with the music video. “All the right friends in all the wrong places
So yeah, we're going down” This relates to the commonly shared intention of dance, but wrong choice in location in respect of them losing money and other valuables that the young boy steals throughout the video. “I know things are looking up but soon they'll take us down before anybody is knowing our name.” and “Are we just sinking in an ocean of faces?” relates to the way that the dancers are wearing masks and therefore lacking desired identity and also links back to the social issue of being scammed.