Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent
This music video is a really weird video as it seems to be an anomaly there really aren't any videos that are similar to this one. What makes this video so different is the fact that there is no performance element at all not even a short one and also none of the band members seem to be in the video. What the video seems to show is a lot of violence between clowns and then kind of thuggish men and also a story of two men from opposite sides of the battle who are having a massive violent fight too. What is slightly similar to the Franz Ferdinand video is the fact that the video has a chance sequence that is filmed in one of the cars which is like Franz Ferdinand.
0:02 The camera is inside one of the cars and it is depicting a car chase which is quite hectic and leaves the audience guessing as they can't be sure what will happen in the video based on the opening. The fact that the camera only shows the cars and not the passengers also emphasises this build up.
0:08 Uncommon for a music video and more like a documentary or low budget action film there is a hand held camera which shows clowns (men dressed as clowns getting out of a car) near a derelict building site and the song begins
0:13 Here there is continued use of the hand held camera which shows a tracking shot of the clowns all running in one direction like soldiers charging into a battle zone.
0:16 There is a masked man dressed in a black suit who attacks one of the clowns after a short stand of. Because, the camera focuses on the two for longer than any of the other people in the video it shows that they are the main characters of the video.
0:19 The attack between the two gangs continues and there is still handheld cameras which create a really chaotic atmosphere.
0:25 The man who is masked and dressed in black comes into focus as the violence continues.
0:34 Here another shock factor is introduced as an elderly man comes into view with the other attacking clowns
0:35 There is an increase in the violence as there is a car door which is continually shut in another man's face.
0:40 The elderly man gets into the car and drives away when one of the clowns jumps onto the hood of the car
0:55 Here the film footage is slowed down and there is a slow side pan or tracking shot showing all the men who are in the middle of the savage fight.
0:57 A car crashes into a pile of boxes the car that the elderly man was driving which could have been used as a sign that there was no escaping the violence or that people get dragged into theses situations
1:02 The masked man and the clown are still fighting
1:04 There is a close up on a blue bag that the masked man is carrying and the clown is chasing him presumably trying to get hold of whatever was in the bag
1:13 There is another cut to the elderly man who comes out of the car and grabs a chain which he smashes the windshield with an then uses as a weapon against the attacking clowns
1:32 There is a close up on the pink clown who is in confrontation with the masked man and words appear on the screen showing the words "How could it have come to this?"
1:35 At this point the screen has a fade to the past and shows younger versions of the pink clown and the mask man as children in a park on the swings looking happy when the lyrics in the song are "Where did you go?" Which the clown mouthes to the other boy.
1:47 The two boys are on bikes this brief montage seems to establish a kind of love story or the idea of friendship and so the confrontation is the change over time. There are then stills of young boys who I assume are the band so that is really the only glimpse that we get of them throughout the whole video.
1:53 The clown is carried off by the masked man's companions
2:00 Here the clown gains the upper hand in the fight and throws one of the men into the river - but it is quite obviously a dummy
2:09 The clown now picks up the blue bag which is kind of a visual theme or sting of the video and chases after the masked man
2:34 The chased masked man runs into the car and as the car starts he drives toward the clown in an attempt to run down the clown which is showing a further break down of the relationship
2:39 There is a crash
2:50 Another uncommon feature of the music video occurs as the clown drops a lighter into the petrol from the car and causes an explosion and the masked man is killed here the song ends although the video continues
2:59 There is a cut to the young version of the two still looking happy
3:00 The video ends with one last view of the clown.
The video shows a more kind of action film approach which shows that perhaps now videos don't really promote the song but they add an extra element to the song. For example the clash between the clowns and the masked men as I refer to them could have a political element that it could be miners strike or any conflict between people and government but this is just speculation.....
0:25 The man who is masked and dressed in black comes into focus as the violence continues.
0:34 Here another shock factor is introduced as an elderly man comes into view with the other attacking clowns
0:35 There is an increase in the violence as there is a car door which is continually shut in another man's face.
0:40 The elderly man gets into the car and drives away when one of the clowns jumps onto the hood of the car
0:55 Here the film footage is slowed down and there is a slow side pan or tracking shot showing all the men who are in the middle of the savage fight.
0:57 A car crashes into a pile of boxes the car that the elderly man was driving which could have been used as a sign that there was no escaping the violence or that people get dragged into theses situations
1:02 The masked man and the clown are still fighting
1:04 There is a close up on a blue bag that the masked man is carrying and the clown is chasing him presumably trying to get hold of whatever was in the bag
1:13 There is another cut to the elderly man who comes out of the car and grabs a chain which he smashes the windshield with an then uses as a weapon against the attacking clowns
1:32 There is a close up on the pink clown who is in confrontation with the masked man and words appear on the screen showing the words "How could it have come to this?"
1:35 At this point the screen has a fade to the past and shows younger versions of the pink clown and the mask man as children in a park on the swings looking happy when the lyrics in the song are "Where did you go?" Which the clown mouthes to the other boy.
1:47 The two boys are on bikes this brief montage seems to establish a kind of love story or the idea of friendship and so the confrontation is the change over time. There are then stills of young boys who I assume are the band so that is really the only glimpse that we get of them throughout the whole video.
1:53 The clown is carried off by the masked man's companions
2:00 Here the clown gains the upper hand in the fight and throws one of the men into the river - but it is quite obviously a dummy
2:09 The clown now picks up the blue bag which is kind of a visual theme or sting of the video and chases after the masked man
2:34 The chased masked man runs into the car and as the car starts he drives toward the clown in an attempt to run down the clown which is showing a further break down of the relationship
2:39 There is a crash
2:50 Another uncommon feature of the music video occurs as the clown drops a lighter into the petrol from the car and causes an explosion and the masked man is killed here the song ends although the video continues
2:59 There is a cut to the young version of the two still looking happy
3:00 The video ends with one last view of the clown.
The video shows a more kind of action film approach which shows that perhaps now videos don't really promote the song but they add an extra element to the song. For example the clash between the clowns and the masked men as I refer to them could have a political element that it could be miners strike or any conflict between people and government but this is just speculation.....
No comments:
Post a Comment