Narrative Video Analysis

This is a song called “Unloveable” by the band Baby Bird directed by the famous Hollywood Actor Johnny Depp. Baby Bird has represented British indie bands since 1995. I chose to analyse this video yet again because the indie genre was the most popular from our questionnaire but also because it is a narrative based music video, with characters acting out a story line. When doing my research I discovered that the target audience for this band was aimed at 24-40 year olds. This is because the issue the lyrics raise in the song is something adults can relate to and as the video shows it is a more extreme case of love and death which may occur from long term relationships of 24-40 year olds.

The lyrics have a clear connection to the music video, which is why it is a narrative. The video acts out the words of the song, the main character has done wrong and is about to be hung and separated from his wife and child who he loves very much “you’re so loveable”. On the other hand “you can’t love me, im unloveable” is effective lyrics because he is about to die he no longer wants his wife and son to love him anymore to try and avoid the pain they will experience for the rest of their lives. The lyrics throughout are both touching and emotional they portray a great sadness and emulates the true downfalls of love.

The music video begins establishing the scene with a wide angle, establishing shot. This sets the scene which is a forested area that could perhaps be portrayed as eerie with an old fashioned bridge. The impression that is given off straight away from the setting is one of sadness and gloom. There are then several close ups of the main characters feet taking each step at a at time which builds a tension to what about to happen, then also of each stage building up the hanging so the audience can establish what happens if they do not already know what one consists of.


Adding to this, there are several high angle shots of the main character when he is about to be hung this makes the actor appear to be more weak and powerless, clearly a victim in the situation as he about to be killed, the power is dominated by the men who captured the man being hung they are more superior and in control. However as he escapes from the hanging, the camera angles change there are low angle shots of the capturers and mid shots of the main character, this shows a change of power they no longer have control of him therefore they are the weaker ones and the fact there are now mid shots of the escapee shows the shift and growing of power he is now gaining by getting away.

The colours used throughout the video are extremely effective in setting the mood and tone, dark colours are constantly used the entire video is set in black and white which portrays a very sad and depressing mood to the audience which is related to the death in the video. When the main singer is performing the background simple and straight forward just black, you can barely make out he has a black t shirt on, perhaps this represents already that he has died it certainly creates a sense of gloom and tragedy for the audience. In contrast to this, the images of the wife and son have a slight colour to them this is because they are representing the love in the family the happy and hopeful times, looking more towards the positive in all the sadness around.

In terms of mise-en-scene the costumes play a key factor in setting the time of the music video which was meant to be the 1600-1700 which was a significant time period that punishments like being hung was quite popular. This time is established through the symbolic clothing for example the males wear ruffles, lace or linen collars, broad hats and slashed sleeves. Furthermore the wife wears large, laces and ruffled a dress with an underskirt with a corset and high neckline, these are stereotypical features of clothing in the 1600-1700’s which the audience can clearly see in the music video.

Editing also adds an effect throughout for example the slow motion, helps to build tension and add a dramatic effect to certain scenes which become more appealing to the audience. Adding to this, the blurred edges around the scenes with the wife and son in add a sense of perhaps memories or dreams that may be in the past and will be greatly missed. The shot reverse shot and quick cuts also add dramatic effect of building up tension when he is being chased, it builds an anxious nervous mood that keeps the audience interested in the music video.