MUTEMATH

Imogen Heap - say goodnight and go video analysis. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9athUdhH40

Genre Characteristics: Electronica, Alternative, Indie, Pop, Rock, Ambient. Quite quirky costume that matches, hair style. Weird props that are influenced by the electronic parts of the song. Lots of LS, MLS, MCUs and CUs of the artist herself performing to the song and the lyrics. Quite girly lyrics and backdrop, appeals to female audience.


Relationship between lyrics + visuals: Quite childish, starts off as black and white, story about a love story but has modern lyrics. "Why do you have to be so cute?" actually singing it to someone. "You’re taking everything off" her hand gestures show clothes coming off. "Flicking through the TV, relaxed and reclining and you think your alone" she’s in the TV as she is talking to him, he’s not alone cause she’s still talking to him. "Come stay with me" little dolls of her and the man she loves dancing in a miniature house. She stops and he winds her up like a doll, wants to hear what she has to say. Quite realistic "but then the heating may be down again" showing a cute storyline but then the money side comes in to it.


Relationship between music and visuals: music quite slow to begin with, edits and shots reflect this, so does her acting as it gets faster her hand gestures get faster. And panning and zoom also gets faster and slower parts of the song.

Close ups Etc. + image motifs: lots of CUs of her miming the lyrics and acting to them showing how she feels * closing eyes etc. CUs of the various toys and fading into the middle part of the song between the toys, little house and other strange things makes it seem like a dream world. Image motifs, its imogen heaps motif to have mad hair, strange costume as this fits to her type of music. Always has strange backdrops (headlock video completely white background) Juxtaposition between the backdrop of the dirty room, looks quite horrible and the fairy lights, candles and costume. In the little dolls house it has imogen heap and the guy she likes in the house in a replica of the room she’s in herself.

Notion of looking: Man looking through his TV at her. Not really male gaze as this would contradict the lyrics of being an innocent child like love story. POV shots of the ECU of toys makes it feel quite intimidating and like your actually there.
Notion of looking into the dolls house.

Intertextual references: reminds me of Cinderella and other such childish love stories. But a modern twist to it. Juxtaposition again between the dress/ costume whole mise-en-scene compared to the modern lyrics.

P.B., N.B., and C.B.: Performance and narrative based. As she is very much performing in front of a camera, she’s always performing while telling the story (narrative) the story is between her and the man she loves who she is performing to through the TV.
By Gina