Textual analysis of a music video - Weak by Ajr

The song I have chosen to look at Weak by Ajr. Ajr are an American (New York city based) Indie pop band. The band consist of three brother and there names make the up the name of the group (Adam, Jack and Ryan) they write, produce and mix there own material from the comfort of there own apartment.

Mise-en-scene

The majority of the music video contains a lot of low key lighting which connotes that the man could be in danger. The main character in the music video is the artist of the song, he is wearing quite pale colours, he is wearing a white t-shirt and there are elements of white on his hat, connoting innocence and vulnerability for this individual. However the male that was sitting next to him on the train is wearing a black shirt connoting death. Suggesting that something has happened to him and that also the same thing might happen to the male dressed in white. This make the audience empathise with the artist because they are worried that the same thing will happen to him. The music video takes place on a train, connoting that they could be on the way home from a party. The lighting on the train is generally quite low, making the setting for the music video a lot more dramatic and mysterious.

Sound

There is a piece of diegetic sound at the beginning on the train, it sounds like a door bell and it is as if it is signalling for the conductor to start talking but no one speaks. Also in the background there is the sound of a train driving down the tracks to give the impression that the train is moving. There is another piece of diegetic sound as the artist is banging on that glass on the train as he tries to escape. It gives the appearance that the male is trapped and cannot escape from what his taken, like the train is a metaphorical prison in his mind. The expression on his face as he punches the see through glass is what makes the audience/ viewer feel sorry for him. There is a quick level of panic and worry brush across his face and this is what grabs the audience and pulls them in closer to the narrative. 

Camera angles

There are a variety of different shots used within the music video but the one that is primarily seen all the way through is close ups. Artist like using close ups because it but more emphasis on then within the video. Nearer the beginning of the music video there is a canted angle connoting drama and danger as the character walks further down the train connoting that the artist could be heading towards danger. It is used to create a dramatic effect on the audience watching the video. Towards the end of the video there is also a low angle shot looking up at the artist connoting that by this point the tables have turned and that he is now the one on charge.

Narrative / performance

I believe that this music video has a good mixture of both performance and narrative. There is multiple times where the artist is seen lip syncing and the narrative continues all the way through. I believe that the narrative in the video helps to explain the lyrics a little more clearly, and by the end of the music. The narrative running through the video appears to be about a group of young adults that have obviously taken something that they shouldn’t have, in this case illegal substances (drugs). This is apparent from the first line of the song “No thank you, is what I should have said” connoting that he should have he should have resisted the urge/curiosity to experience the drugs – hence the title of the song Weak. This fact is also apparent from the post production editing where the frame appears to be twitching and freaking out, connoting the feeling that the artist is feeling whilst on drugs.

Editing

With regards to the editing it is clear that editing is something that as used a lot in the music video. It is obvious from the colour correction toward the end. There is also the use of overlapping the frame to give the appearance that the artist jumping within the frame. The pace of the editing varies all the way through the music video there are times where the pace almost jumps from frame to frame. However, there is also times where the pace slows a little and the frame changes every couple of seconds but overall the pace is still quite fast. The fast pace of the editing helps the narrative, the pace combined with the beat of the music makes the music video become tenser overall, and the audience become more engaged with the video because they are constantly looking for what’s next.

By doing this textual analysis of a music video I have learned more about the way a narrative can be shown within the video and how all the other parts of the music video e.g. editing and camera shots, can be used to enhance the narrative. It’s evident that the use of lighting and locations is very important when it comes to music videos. 

This will help me when it comes to making my own music video because I've analysed the balance between narrative and performance and this will help me to know exactly how much of each to include.