Song: Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?
Artist: Artic Monkeys
Genre: Alternative Rock
Structure: Narrative
Artic Monkey's fifth studio album, AM, was released on 9 September 2013. This almost one month after the third single from the same album had been released; 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?' It was 11 August when both single and video was released, though there had been earlier leaking problems on various social networking sites. In just over 2 months the video had reached a massive 6 million views. I will now analyse various techniques used in order to create the popular video.
The video starts without the full track being dominantly played. Instead it teases the audience by playing it in the background of the opening set (a busy pub). Here you can hear clear diegetic sound, such as pool balls being hit and the sound of people talking. This is done to establish the narrative to the audience before the song starts. It's clear to see the song is being played as diegeting sound oppose to non diegetic because when he enters the toilet the sound becomes much more faded, as it would if you had actually left the main pub to go to the toilet. This effect of diegetic sound gives the audience a sudden connection to the character because they feel as though they are there with them, hearing what he hears. Before the song does start there has already been a number of different edits made. An example of this is when he's texting Stephanie and it actually pops above his phone (0:16) this is another great way of helping the audience understand the narrative and again allows them to feel a connection with the character. Almost like they're looking in on his life and he doesn't even know. Another edit is at when the character is looking in the mirror and see's two versions of himself, this helusination effect is something that is used a number of times in the music video and enables the text to link with the lyrics and the fact he's high. A number of edits are used between 1:23 and 1:36 to suggest the character is high including the use of a blurred/multi-vision screen. It is also established by the non-diegetic sounding.
Conventions are once again flirted with in terms of mise-en-scene and the character dark costume this also teams up with the low lighting and the dark street setting. As well as simply establishing the genre the mise-en-scene is also used to link the narrative the lyrics. For example, at 3:07 an eye-line match is used to show a sign (prop) reading 'Why No Reply?' this clearly link to the girl he's texting and the fact she isn't texting back. There is also a couple of times a number of props are used to create verisimilitude such as in the pubs are the beginning where they have been sure to include a bar and pool table etc. It can also be seen in one of the closing scene where the girl see's the text and the use of posters and other people in the background give it a sense of realism and wakes it feel more homely.
In terms of cinematography they're are a number of different technique used, mostly to portray to the audience that he is infact high. An example of this is the hand held character which follows him down the street this is obviously much more unstable than a tracked camera and so reflects the simulation of being drunk. This is again used to make the audience feel as though they are there with the character. Other shots commonly used are point of view shots which enable the audience to see exactly what he's seeing hallucinations and all. This is used a number of times within the video, a good example is at 3:40 when he see's a naked girl, who isn't there, on the back of the motorbike. Towards the end of the video an establishing shot is used to show he's arrived at a house. However, a tilt away followed by a cut suggests he's waiting outside the wrong house. This among other things within the video showcases the comedy value of some alternative rock video's. This can also be seen in Mumford & Sons 'Hopeless Wonderer'.
Structure: Narrative
Artic Monkey's fifth studio album, AM, was released on 9 September 2013. This almost one month after the third single from the same album had been released; 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?' It was 11 August when both single and video was released, though there had been earlier leaking problems on various social networking sites. In just over 2 months the video had reached a massive 6 million views. I will now analyse various techniques used in order to create the popular video.
The video starts without the full track being dominantly played. Instead it teases the audience by playing it in the background of the opening set (a busy pub). Here you can hear clear diegetic sound, such as pool balls being hit and the sound of people talking. This is done to establish the narrative to the audience before the song starts. It's clear to see the song is being played as diegeting sound oppose to non diegetic because when he enters the toilet the sound becomes much more faded, as it would if you had actually left the main pub to go to the toilet. This effect of diegetic sound gives the audience a sudden connection to the character because they feel as though they are there with them, hearing what he hears. Before the song does start there has already been a number of different edits made. An example of this is when he's texting Stephanie and it actually pops above his phone (0:16) this is another great way of helping the audience understand the narrative and again allows them to feel a connection with the character. Almost like they're looking in on his life and he doesn't even know. Another edit is at when the character is looking in the mirror and see's two versions of himself, this helusination effect is something that is used a number of times in the music video and enables the text to link with the lyrics and the fact he's high. A number of edits are used between 1:23 and 1:36 to suggest the character is high including the use of a blurred/multi-vision screen. It is also established by the non-diegetic sounding.
Conventions are once again flirted with in terms of mise-en-scene and the character dark costume this also teams up with the low lighting and the dark street setting. As well as simply establishing the genre the mise-en-scene is also used to link the narrative the lyrics. For example, at 3:07 an eye-line match is used to show a sign (prop) reading 'Why No Reply?' this clearly link to the girl he's texting and the fact she isn't texting back. There is also a couple of times a number of props are used to create verisimilitude such as in the pubs are the beginning where they have been sure to include a bar and pool table etc. It can also be seen in one of the closing scene where the girl see's the text and the use of posters and other people in the background give it a sense of realism and wakes it feel more homely.
In terms of cinematography they're are a number of different technique used, mostly to portray to the audience that he is infact high. An example of this is the hand held character which follows him down the street this is obviously much more unstable than a tracked camera and so reflects the simulation of being drunk. This is again used to make the audience feel as though they are there with the character. Other shots commonly used are point of view shots which enable the audience to see exactly what he's seeing hallucinations and all. This is used a number of times within the video, a good example is at 3:40 when he see's a naked girl, who isn't there, on the back of the motorbike. Towards the end of the video an establishing shot is used to show he's arrived at a house. However, a tilt away followed by a cut suggests he's waiting outside the wrong house. This among other things within the video showcases the comedy value of some alternative rock video's. This can also be seen in Mumford & Sons 'Hopeless Wonderer'.
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