HG - Empire of the Sun music video analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj_Nlm0871E


I have chosen to deconstruct the video ‘We are the people’ by Empire of the Sun. This song has strong characteristics of the indie/electro pop genre. The main characteristics that show this genre are the costumes, the tempo of the song itself and the way in which the video is shot with the different camera techniques and specific movements. The song was released on the 20th of September 2008 and all the lyrics are written by the band, shot on location in the towns of Garcia, Xilitla, and the Icamole Desert in Mexico and was directed by Josh Logue.

Within the video there is some connection between lyrics and visuals. Luke Steele (lead singer) is seen to lip synch during the majority of the song, and mainly the chorus. There isn’t an amplification or illustration of visuals with the lyrics in the video, but the main idea of the video is that the place they are visiting people keep dying, and maybe the words ‘we are the people who rule the world’ suggests they have come to help .This is shown in the way they do a kind of ritualised dance in the jungle by the fresh waterfall.
The Music and the visuals have a connection as there is a magical fairytale feel to the atmosphere in the video, and the tempo matches to the way in which the video is shot and cut to the beat of the music. There is a guitar in the video, it is made to look like a staff or magical stick of some kind, covered in colourful feathers and string it looks out of the ordinary and is not actually seen to be played in the video. The video changes with the pace of the music, as initially they are travelling through the desert at a slow weary pace, and then further in to the video there is a lot of exaggerated arm movements and dancing in a jungle surrounded by an old abandoned city or village from hundreds of years ago, then also more dancing in the street as they parade along with other villagers. This shows the change in music tempo and pace along with the visuals.

There are many close ups of both of the singers, Mainly Luke Steele as he is the lead singer. The costumes and the makeup used are to show the individuality of the band and their uniqueness, which will appeal to the bands audience. Looking at other videos by this artist, there is a certain consistency in the way their videos are shot, where they are shot and also the costumes and makeup is also similar in each, showing their quirky and unusual side and not conforming to a typical band stereotype. This video represents the bands image and that their representation is in tune with their music. This artist rejects dominant ideologies as they are different and stand out from other indie electro bands, which there are a lot of around in the music industry at the moment.
There is no sense that the artist is on sexual display at all within the video; however there is an image of a woman in the video who is beautiful and wearing little clothing. There are close-ups of the young woman’s face showing her beauty, this is to attract a male audience and to maybe to show her in a sexual way. The camerawork used shows a magical, mystical feel as the use of the sun behind the band members in particular as it is shown in a way which is really captivating. The lead singers face is also blurred out to highlight the large waterfall which is flowing violently in the background. This extenuates the surroundings and the lush, fresh atmosphere giving connotations of life and nature. There are also a lot of long and mid shots used to show the surroundings and the historic area the video was shot in.

The video is narrative and performance based. The majority o the video is narrative based, but as the story goes along there are sections , mostly in the jungle, where the band are dancing and lip syncing. The video is an alternative video as it is very different to a mainstream, not only due to the costumes, location and make-up but to that fact the music is new and edgy, something different to what the audience are listening to at the moment.

This video could be consumed either in a solo or communal way as it has a beat that could mean that it could be used as music for ambient listening, however it has also got a video that could employ that it can be used for focused viewing. This is because it is a strong video, with a narrative and performance based view to it. Because of the extravagance of the video I feel that the audience would be influenced by their viewing, and the consumption of what the band offers has a strong unique view on music and the genre.

In conclusion this is a narrative and performance based alternative video, that doesn’t conform to the typical stereotypes of a normal indie band music video. This video shows a magical and mystical realism side of the band, with the use of mise-en-secne, camera movements and sound. This is displayed also with the costumes, location and makeup used, to show that they are different and outlandish.