Dubstep:
The genre of this song is Dubstep and this is reflected in the music video in a few ways by the mise-en-scene. Firstly a characteristic of Dubstep that is contained within this video is the moody attitude that most Dubstep music videos contain. This is represented by the mostly natural and dull lighting of the video. Another thing that is a characteristic of Dubstep music videos is a lot of special effects. This is present in this text when there are expansions of time for effect to make the fight scenes more dramatic. There are also a lot of focus pulls with the camera to make the background blur which adds to this moody mood in the mise-en-scene. Thirdly a characteristic of Dubstep that is present in this video is the setting of the video. This is because Dubstep music videos are usually filmed in run down area, maybe council estates etc. and this one is set in a such run down area with rubble and rusted metal dotted around. This setting once again also contributes to the moody feel of the video.
The relationship between lyrics and visuals:
I would say that the first time this maxim of Goodwin's theory comes into place is when the lyrics say 'that I need to release' which I see as suggesting an emotional repression and this is mirrored in the video by the body language of the samurai. I believe that the main concept of the video/ song is that at close proximity couples or friends, however related to each other can be prone to conflict. The second time i see this come into play is when Alex Clare sings 'which way is right, which way is wrong' which suggests a moralistic conflict which is brought to life on screen with the hesitation of the actors in samurai costumes with swords. A third note worthy example of this lyrical relation to the video is when the chorus begins with 'And I think I'm too close' and the two characters proximity to each other increases gradually until they are face to face and then this line signals the violence.
The relationship between music and visuals:
The cuts initially line up with the bars extremely effectively and then carries on throughout the text with a variety of different cuts including graphic matches. As well as this there is a definite method of connecting the tempo of the music with the video of the music video that is used throughout the entire video at various points. Initially in the introduction bars of the song where the music is fairly steady and non-dramatic there are some simple shots with regular cuts and possibly some expansion, all a part of a continuity editing agenda. However when the music is building to the bass drop you see the editing start to loose its continuity and the actors start becoming more violent until it climaxes and they start fighting. Another time the music and visuals match up is when there is a quickening of the beat and at the same time the cuts of the video speed up momentarily.
Close ups of the artist and star image motifs:
The video is very much split into two halves. On one half is the story being told by the video with the two actors fighting and on the other is the artist Alex Clare. This backs up Goodwin's music video theory as it shows how there is a star image motif in the video as well as having many close ups on the artist himself. The motif being the clothes that the artist wears are fairly recurring style that is emphasised in the video by many shots with him in.
Reference to the notion of looking:
No references were included in this video and so this opposes Goodwin's theory about this area of music videos.
Inter-textual references:
No inter-textual references were included in this video and so this opposes Goodwin's theory about this area of music videos.
Performance, narrative or concept based:
I believe that this music video is a definite example of concept based video as it is hugely orientated about this struggle between the two warriors and what that symbolises. However it also contains a small amount of performance when it returns to the artist singing in the video.
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