Arctic Monkeys- Arabella video analysis

Analysis of the Arctic Monkeys Arabella using Andrew Goodwin's music video theory-

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics

This music video has many of the characteristics of the indie/ alternative genre. The video is in black and white connoting that everything is clear however the video its self isn’t very clear and the audience doesn’t know what is going on most of the time, contrasting the black and white filter. There is also dialogue at the start which I have found is common in the indie/ alternative genre music videos and also has the laid back setting of a house which signifies a careless atmosphere which is regular in this type of genre. Throughout this music video we see the band performing showing there was a use of stereotypical props, for example a micro phone and guitar. Both the song and the music video have a typical indie theme of sex, alcohol, cigarettes and tattoos’, showing it conforms to the typical characteristics of the indie/alternative genre.

There is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals

This music video is an example of disjuncture, as the lyrics to the song don’t really match the visuals. However some of the references in the lyrics pop up at some points within the visuals of the music video.  However overall, the lyrics of the song don’t really match the visuals within the music video; but because both the lyrics and the visuals don’t really make sense show that they could have a relationship.

‘That's magic in a cheetah print coat’ 

‘Organic cigarettes that she smokes’ 

There is a relationship between the music and the visuals

The music itself has a strong beat to it this matches the edits of the music video. The fast paced music is contrapuntal to the quick paced shots. Throughout most of the music video the shot will  changes at the exact same time as the beat of the music, however this doesn’t happen throughout the whole of the music video as the music goes slightly softer as the edits are not as quick paced.

The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work

There are many close ups throughout the music video however they are mainly close ups of the main singer; this could show that he is the face of the band and he is the most recognised. Because he is the most recognised and the main close ups are of him, this may promote the bands other music videos as close ups of him may be used in those other videos as well. This would have been done on purpose as a promotional technique for the band and the record label.

There are frequent references to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic (sexual) treatment of the female body

With the Indie/ alternative genre women are sexualised regularly, this is clearly reinforced in this music video. Women with barely any clothes on are displayed throughout the video. Because these women are shown so often throughout the video this gives it normality, as it comes across as normal that women are seen through this male gaze. As there is a strong sexualisation toward women in this video Strauss’s Binary opposites is very clear showing men v women. The men in this video are seen as dominant v the women being sexualised and weak. 

There is an often intertextual reference (to films, programmes or other music videos)

The black and white vintage look gives reference to old vintage films. The women are seen to be the Princess and the men are seen to be the Hero (Propp’s theory , which is stereotypical in society both now and then. The black and white filter along with the props (for example cigarettes) used in this video makes the audience think that it was set around the 70’s/80’s which is when the indie/alternative genre started to become popular.

 Whether the video is primarily performance-based, narrative-based or concept-based and how element of each is used in it

The indie/alternative genre tends to have the artists performing in the music videos. Within this music video the band performs throughout. This would diminish Todrov’s narrative theory as this music video has no clear narrative just like the same types of music video in the indie/alternative genre.

Audience feedback

The audience feedback is vital for a music video as the audience are the primary consumers as the reason for the music video existing. If the music video has poor audience feedback this could damage the bands image. This audience feed back below the video on YouTube reinforces the confusion of the song and the fact that the music video is disjunctured. This may have been the reaction the band wanted from the audience.