Alt-J () Breezeblocks music video analysis/case study (linked to Goodwins theory of music videos)

Andrew Goodwins theory of music videos has 6 main points: 1. music videos demonstrate genre characteristics 2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals 3. There is a relationship between music and visuals The demands of the record label will include the need for several close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style) 5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body 6. There are often intertextual references to films, TV programmes and other music videos I chose to use the Breezeblocks music video because of the unusual narrative structure and explicit linking of the lyrics to the visuals. There are some points of Goodwins theory that do not directly apply to the music video, however, I used this fact as a way to show that the theory quite possibly only works for some music videos, whereas others may contradict or act against the theory. Additionally, I chose the video because it constructs a powerful image of an issue that has been explored before in film, but not quite as subtly or to as great an effect. The music video also has a very enigmatic quality because the audience are thrown in to the action without an explanation or backstory the narrative can be interpreted in several different ways depending on the audience. The way that is is perceived can also be subject to change depending on if the music video is watched normally or played in reverse (meaning forwards).

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics

In some genres, this point is much more obvious than in other genres. For example, it is common for a metal or rock band to have a stage performance of themselves for the music video; it is also common for rap videos to have the rapper himself surrounded by money, material goods and scantily clad women. These generic stereotypes are harnessed to appeal more to the target audience of the music video, they will be easily influenced by what they see because they are predisposed to the generic conventions. Therefore, the music video will have a larger impact because it will be appealing to an audience. It is tougher to identify generic conventions or stereotypes in the indie rock genre because of its diversity in sub-genres. Additionally, indie rock is a breakaway from the label/genre alternative because many artists felt that it was becoming too mainstream; exactly the opposite of the aims of the music, thus generic conventions are harder to identify. In terms of Alt-J and the music video, they seem to be debunking Goodwins theory because there are no shots of the band playing together, neither are there of any of the band members by themselves or playing as characters. It is quite common to see indie bands with the frontman positioned in the centre of the frame, giving a commanding performance, with the rest of the band in the background. However, the Breezeblocks music video seems to break out of this stereotype, adopting a strong narrative structure instead of a montage style music video. In terms of camera angles and shots, close ups of the singer are common in indie rock music videos. There are no close ups of the singer in Breezeblocks, giving more evidence that Goodwins theory does not always work, particularly in some genres. The setting of the music video is somewhat generic because of its urban apartment location, suggesting inner city life, which is common in the indie rock culture.

50 Cent appearing in one of his music videos, surrounded by women. This is a generic characteristic of rap music videos.

Nirvana in the music video for Smells Like Teen Spirit, showing generic shots of the band playing together cut with close ups of Kurt Cobain

2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals

This is where Goodwins theory features strongly in the video for Breezeblocks. The lyrics are strongly emphasised and illustrated by using the visuals in the music video. For example, in the opening few seconds of the track, the lyrics she may contain the urge to run away, but hold her down with soggy clothes and breeze blocks is directly referenced with the music video with a close up shot of a female character in a bath full of bloody water, crushed by a breeze block. These lyrics are also emphasised by the camera angle; it is a high angle showing that the female character is powerless, reinforcing traditional stereotypes of the way that women are portrayed in music videos. The lyrics and visuals are almost exactly in sync at this point, illustrating the lyrics perfectly and evidencing Goodwins theory. Further on, the lyrics my love my love love love are cut together with a succession of images that bring the audience to question the morality of the male character. Firstly, the wedding ring on his finger is shown in time with the first my love, indicating that he has a wife. Secondly, there is a cutaway to the shot of the female character in the bath, without a ring on her hand, connoting that she may be a jealous ex or the male characters mistress. This is in time with the second my love. Lastly, as the repetition of the word love is sung, the visuals cut to the female character in the bath, suggesting that she may be the male characters love, rather than his wife. This succession of cuts in time with the lyrics shows that elements of Goodwins theory are much more common than others, particularly the emphasising, illustrating and contrasting of lyrics by visuals. The shots of the hands are both extreme close ups, creating emphasis but also developing a sense of binary opposition between the ringed hand and the hand without a ring.

(Carrying on from previous slide) The audience are forced to question the morality of the man because of the very obvious fact that he has just murdered someone, but also the fact that the female character that was murdered could have been his mistress. This would prompt the questioning of which of the two characters is the antagonist. It could be the woman, for breaking in and tying up the other female character (revealed later on in the video) and attacking the man; or it could be the man for having an affair and then proceeding to murder his mistress. It is also worth suspecting that the male character was the one to actually tie up his wife(?), building more towards the conclusion that he is the psychopath, not the female character laying in wait.

Further evidencing the male characters psychopathic tendencies are the illustration of the lyrics please dont go, Ill eat you whole by the visuals of the female character tied up in the closet. Alt-Js vocalist, Joe Newman, explained "The song is about liking someone who you want so much that you want to hurt yourself and them, as well. We related that idea to Where The Wild Things Are, which we all grew up reading, where in the end the beasts say 'Oh, please don't go! We'll eat you whole! We love you so!,' that they would threaten cannibalism to have that person - it's a powerful image. The audience can see by the matching of the lyrics to the shots that the mistress loves/is obsessed with the male character so much that she wants to destroy his relationship with his wife, hurting him, as well as physically hurting him and possibly his wife. In this case, the mistress is the one who ends up getting hurt/killed, fitting the themes that Alt-J were trying to show with the intertextual link to Where the Wild Things Are. Additionally, this display of behaviour and the lyrics/themes behind them reveal that the mistress could actually be the antagonist, rather than the male. The please dont go lyrics could be applied to any one of the three characters; the male looses either way because he could end up with neither of the female characters; the mistress doesnt want to loose the male and the wife appears to be scared and doesnt want to loose her husband. What makes the video tragic is its vivid and catastrophic portrayal of the resounding effects one abusive relationship can have. Furthermore, the male character is hurting the one he loves by sleeping with another woman and perhaps controlling his wifes life by keeping her tied up. Either way, it is clear that Goodwins theory has been used to effect to give the impression of dependent and selfdestructive characters in the music video.

A straightforward reference to Goodwins theory is shown here, as the lyrics break down now weep are heard at the same time as the male character is shown, appearing to have a break down subsequent to the murder of his mistress. Centring around this shot places emphasis on the events that have just happened, as well as giving the lyrics more of an impact upon the audience. Another example of where lyrics and visuals have a relationship is in the moment before/during the male character hits his mistress with the cinder block. The lyrics the fear has gripped my but here I go are reinforced by the visuals because it connotes the idea that the male character is scared but has to do the deed in order to survive, hence the but here I go. The lyrics shes morphine, queen of my vaccine could be describing the effect that the mistress has on the male or vice versa. Morphine is administered for the relief of severe pain; in this case the pain could be both physical and mental.

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals

Breezeblocks has a relatively slow tempo overall, with the chorus sections speeding up a little and the verses slowing down once again. The beginning of the video reflects the music; there are few cuts and the music video stays with the same shots for longer periods. The action matches up to the mellow beginning, with little movement in both the actors as well as the camera. Once the lyrics love love love are sung, the pace quickens and the action on screen reflects this with more movement from the characters and their surroundings, the bath water was once still and now moving. The camera begins to move a little bit more, taking on a hand held approach to perhaps connote the struggle between the two characters. However, throughout the video the pace averages out quite slowly with some points cutting faster and some slower depending on the part of the track (chorus or verse). For example, at one point a shot stays on screen for 13 seconds before cutting again. The slow pace of cutting suites the track because it manages to amplify the musics harrowing atmosphere. This is again emphasised by the use of slow motion throughout the whole of the music video, slowing the pace of the action to fit the music. Without the slow motion the video would feel too disorderly and energetic for the track. The pace of this music video is very different from other genres such as pop or rap where the cuts are most usually quick and continuous throughout the video, matching the upbeat tempo.

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for several close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style) This part of Goodwins theory is another area that doesnt fit all music
videos, in fact many videos dont actually have any shots of the band members. This seems to be dependent on genre characteristics, as pop videos or rap videos often feature the artist themselves heavily throughout the video. Breezeblocks contains no shots of the band/artist, replacing these generic shot types with a complex narrative instead. It could be said that this kind of narrative is becoming the demands of record labels that sign these kinds of indie rock bands, as they would wanting to be moving away from the generic close ups of lead vocalists and group shots of the band. The generic band shots have been out-dated in several genres in favour for more meaningful music videos that work more to amplify the track rather than create hype for the artists. This could be done by creating a music video that has more of a narrative to amplify the track itself. Now that Alt-J has used this kind of music video, it may become apparent that they continue to use narrative structures to create gripping and peculiar storylines in their following videos, developing a visual style. When looking at their other music videos it is clear that the style seen in Breezeblocks resonates through the rest of their music (see Fitzpleasure, Tesselate and Something Good). Despite Alt-J not showing the characteristics explained by Goodwins theory, I chose to focus on another video for this point that does appear to follow the theory. This is the video for Massive Attacks Inertia Creeps. As shown in the screenshots, the vocalist for Massive Attack is shown throughout the video in several different parts with close ups. This matches the demands of the record label because shots of the artist are included, creating a focus around the band and engaging the audience. Massive Attack often use members of the band in their videos. For example, the video for Angel centres around a member of the band and almost all of the shots show this member. This fact evidences Goodwins theory that artists develop motifs which recur across their work, however; Massive Attack began to move away from using band members in their videos, with music videos like Teardrop. This may be due to the way that audiences are changing and want to see different videos that dont follow generic conventions.

5. There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body
Once again, Alt-J continue to defy Goodwins theory of music videos with their portrayal of women in the music video for Breezeblocks. It seems that there is very little in terms of voyeuristic treatment of the female body, with most of the shots showing the mistress in a struggle or the wife in the closet. In both scenarios the female characters are fully dressed in costumes that arent seductive or revealing. The costumes worn by the characters are reflective of the location; they are dull tones that dont really offer any powers of seduction or voyeurism to a male or female audience. In Breezeblocks it appears that the female characters have been placed on an equal level to the male character in terms of appearance because the narrative and action shows that the audience shouldnt be focusing on the female body, nor the male body. This could be evidence that Alt-J are trying to steer away from the generic stereotypical representations that women are objects and/or sex symbols by representing the female characters in a different light, focusing on their actions rather than their looks. Additionally, there is little reference to looking (screens within screens, telescopes etc.) as the narrative structure focuses almost completely around the struggle between the two characters. The audience in this case are more voyeuristic than the video itself; the use of POV camera angles makes the audience feel as though they are watching the events unfold with their own eyes, as though behind a two way mirror. This is particularly evident when the mistress is lying in the bath because the camera shots feel very observant, like its the audience in the room instead of the male character. Once again I have chosen to use Massive Attacks video for Inertia Creeps to demonstrate the notion of looking and voyeurism of the female body in music videos.

The first screenshot from the music video shows only the female characters lips, hands (complete with red nail polish) and cigarette/cigarette smoke. These combine to provide sexual connotations of the female gender when represented in film. The colour red is often used to show something seductive; the colour red symbolises passion, love and desire. Red is also often used to evoke erotic feelings (e.g. red light district, Lady in Red). Therefore, the frequent use of this colour in association with the images of the female body create an image of sexuality and voyeurism. In addition, the extreme close up purposely draws attention to the lips of the female character, hinting at her sexuality and objectifying her. This image of the lips with red lipstick is also used to create a feeling of desire for a male audience, hence the voyeuristic nature of some music videos. Furthermore, the cigarette is used to perhaps pay homage to the older representations of women as femme fatales; a femme fatale would often be shown smoking a cigarette as before all of the health risks were discovered it was thought to be sexy. All of these elements combined are used to create the thought of a desirable woman, using the imagination of a predominantly male audience to exaggerate this even further. The lighting also adds an effect; the contrasting shadows act as a way of making the mise en scene feel more dark, perhaps hinting at the possible darker nature of the female character or the events that are taking place. Alternatively, the shadows could be adding to the visual metaphor, exaggerating the mise en scene to connote something with more depth than the obvious erotic imagery of the red lips and nails. The second screen shot establishes the female character through her legs, ankles and feet; placing emphasis on her body rather than attempting add any depth to the character. This confirms Goodwins theory that the female body is often treated voyeuristically in music videos by placing focus on the female body, specifically areas that are meant to be erotic or attractive. The music video is building the image of a dream woman by showing certain parts of her body; her legs and lips for example. A search of legs into Google Images brings up results that are predominantly provocatively posed women, showing that the idea of female legs can be desirable to an audience, thus it is used as a device to attract the audience. Another example of this is Jessica Rabbit from the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the features deemed attractive by a male audience have been accentuated to make her seem more desirable to a predominantly male audience.

The music video for inertia creeps also explores the notion of looking through a camcorder, evidencing the idea of a screen within a screen (matching Goodwins theory). The camcorder primarily shows footage from what appears to be an encounter (possibly explicit) between the main characters partner and another man (played by a member of the band), further highlighting the voyeuristic nature of the music video. By using the camcorder, it includes the audience to make it seem as though they are watching the footage; putting them in the shoes of the main male character. The use of a POV shot highlights the intentions that the video is trying to convey to the audience; making them feel like the voyeurs in this situation, watching something that they perhaps shouldnt be. Another interesting object that I noticed in one of the scenes depicted in the tape playing on the camcorder was the plate in the background with the image of a keyhole and an eye peering through it. This image encapsulates what voyeurism is about Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions usually considered to be of a private nature. The eye in the keyhole symbolises this, peeping through to see something taboo; it is watching the scene that is unfolding, which has been hinted to have a sexual nature. The eye could be used to connote two things; the main character watching the footage back on the camcorder, which he wasnt probably meant to see; or the audience themselves watching the music video. Either way, this symbolism reinforces Goodwins theory that music videos often contain aspects of voyeurism, whether it be in the actual video itself or in the audience who consume it.

6. There are often intertextual references to films, TV programmes and other music videos
Throughout the music video there are several cutaways to running taps and baths. Additionally, there are several shots of the mistress dead in the bath tub filled with water. This could be an intertextual link to the film Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock; specifically the shower scene in which Marion Crane is murdered by Norman Bates (or the other half of his split personality). As shown in the screen shots to the left, the close up shot of running water coming from the shower head is being mimicked in Breezeblocks by the close up shot of running water from the tap, perhaps giving a sense of foreshadowing for the audience especially those who have seen Psycho. Where Breezeblocks is different, however, is that the ultimate event happens at the beginning; it is more about the struggle before hand than the actual murder itself. Once again, similar shot types are used to depict the victims of the killings, showing further links between the two videos. This reinforces Goodwins theory that there are often intertextual links to other media productions in music videos, films in particular. Both of the characters that are murdered are females and they are both murdered by male characters, and the setting in which the characters are killed are very similar. However, Marion Crane in Psycho appears to be more vulnerable and weak compared to the mistress in Breezeblocks because she is seen naked and there is no real struggle. This reinforces the stereotypical representations of women in film, but the depiction in Breezeblocks is slightly different, although still not completely favourable. Using Psycho as an intertextual reference could explain the behaviour of the mistress and the male character, perhaps either one of them exhibits similar behavioural patterns to Norman Bates.

The events shown in the music video for Breezeblocks can be linked to several films, involving similar themes of love, obsession and destruction. Fatal Attraction is a film released in 1987 about a happily married man, who when his wife and kids are away, sleeps with another woman. However, his mistress cannot let him go and will go to any length to keep him for herself (slitting her wrists, telling him she is pregnant, stalking him at work and home, attacking his wife and attacking him with a knife). There are obvious similarities between these two videos, particularly the fact that both mistresses try to attack the male character with knives after they dont get what they want. The video for Breezeblocks may well have been drawing from the representation of women in Fatal Attraction; this representation of women isnt as stereotypical as most, as usually the female character is weak and unable to think for herself. In this case, the representation is the complete opposite with the female character exerting psychopathic tendencies and loosing any sense of rational thought due to being so caught up in love with the male character. Despite this challenging the generic representation, it still isnt a good representation of women because it shows them as unstable and unable to control their urges. Once again, this is not an accurate representation of the majority of women, and while it doesnt add to the current stereotypical representation, it certainly doesnt create a better one, nor does it do anything to defy the previous representations. Additionally, the female character/mistress is the one who ends up dying in Breezeblocks by the hand of the male character, reinforcing the idea of domestic abuse in relationships, particularly by men. This also reinforces stereotypes of gender, specifically the idea that men are the ultimately dominant sex in terms of physical strength; the female character is still killed off anyway, despite an initial struggle. Again, this matches the end of Fatal Attraction because the female character who tries to kill the male character eventually gets shot and dies. The other female character in Breezeblocks (the wife) appears only in the scenes in which she is tied and bound up in the closet. This is a reinforcement of the usual stereotypical representation that women are weak, due to being physically bound. However, it is also challenging because she was tied up by the other female character, showing strength on one side and weakness on the other.

There are many films that follow this formulaic plotline of women falls in love with man and after being rejected begins to loose her mind. The fact that there are so many of these portrayals has lead to a different representation of women rather than the lack of independence and strong mind representation that the audience is so used to. This time, women are portrayed as being completely dependent on a man, and without his love/acceptance become a wreck with nothing else to live for. This reinforces negative stereotypes because it shows women as living only for men and being unable to depend on themselves rather than another man.

Play Misty for Me depicting the female character brandishing a knife towards the male character, much like in Breezeblocks

There is the obvious references throughout the song to the book and film Where the Wild Things Are. For example, the lyrics do you know where the wild things go? relate directly. Breezeblocks links to the childrens book through the themes that are explored, the psychoanalytic element of the plot relating to the mistress as well as the male character. This collection of interetextual references reinforces the point made by Goodwin that music videos often link with other media texts, particularly films.