Textual Analysis 1: Hunstanton Pier

As our first task for our A2 media, we were asked to choose 3 music videos and explain why we like them. We were also asked to comment on the elements of each music video including camera, editing and mise-en-scene. The first choice of music videos is Hunstanton Pier by Deaf Havana:

Why do I like this music video? First of all Deaf Havana are one of my favourite bands of all time. Their lyrics and honest and straight forward; their melodies are catchy and easy to get into your head. Although their music videos won't catch your eye within 3 seconds with blinding flashing lights, females with little more than plastic underwear on (yes I'm referring to Blurred Lines) or sudden bass drops, this band will catch the attention of anyone who's into that type of music.

Their music video focusses on the strong narrative that they portray in the music video. It's very personal to the band and because there aren't that many music videos out there that do this, this is what makes the video unique. Apply this to Goodwin's theory and it's and element of 'thought beats'.  It is the story an artist is telling within their song. This can make the artist to be also known as a storyteller. The music video can be seen to aid the story that the artist is telling us through the vocals of the song.

Hunstanton Pier is a very good example of this. James Veck-Gilodi, lead singer of the band and the writer of this song said this about Hunstanton Pier,

"It brings me back to the only place I ever really felt at home, and how much I miss it. It's hard for me to sing sometimes because it leads my mind to wander off and think about all the people I used to be so close to and what they are doing now"

The music video displays this as the video focusses on the band members returning to their town of Hunstanton and seeing how things have changed for everyone. It's a very personal song to the band members but also allows the audience to relate to the song. A lot of the shots in the music video are ones of shop keepers and businessmen that were there when the band lived there (mainly James and Lee) and locations around the town. 

Most of the music video focusses around the setting of the area. In the music video, there are many places that have been filmed which may be relevant to the history of the band members. Throughout the music video, the band go to these places - shops, the beach etc - as if they're reminiscing about the times they used to have when they lived in Hunstanton. The master shots of these scenes are no longer than two seconds long. 

Usually in a music video the shots in the are less than a second long however this music video is slower because the song is calm and relaxing. Also, in a music video you would usually only have a few master shots but this music video is different in a good way because it is based on the town so there will be more shots of the area than of the band. 

The master shots have also been slowed down slightly to fit the theme of the music and to give a calming element to the music video. This is to make the audience relate to the band's experiences. It also shows the amount of love they have for Hunstanton as they spend a lot of time showing the audience the town. The shots I have used include the overview of the town, the beach lawns and the actual beach looking out to sea.

The first shot of the band was of James, the lead singer who is miming to the lyrics of the song. Where he was sat is where he is for the majority of the music video. Here he sings,

"it was 2004 if I'm not mistaken"

The expression on his face shows that singing it is quite painful because he remembers a lot about that specific year as referring back to what he said that,

"it's hard for me to sing sometimes because it leads my mind to just wander off"

The next shot of characters in the music video is of the entire band. In the music video they aren't really characters, but they're just themselves, allowing the audience to feel empathy for them as they are remembering what their lives were like when they lived in Hunstanton.

In these close-up shots of each individual band member James sings,

"we were young and out of touch with the things we'd grow to hate so much"

The close ups of each band member was suggest that now they're now connected to the town that they loved. If the audience don't know who these people are then this introduces the band members to the person. Close-ups usually show the character's emotions and in this it shows how content the band is with being back home.

The music video uses a variety of different effects, this one being only one of the several. The fading out is effective because the song is slow and calming which fits with the music. The blurring could portray that the band struggle to remember what it feels like to be home because they're always touring and never settle down anywhere permanently.

When you see the city of Hunstanton, James sings,

"to tell you the truth I'd be lying if I said I didn't hate the city,"

This is an example of thought beats by Andrew Goodwin because when he sings "city" you actually see the city in the music video, which also allows the audience to relate the song to the video. This is effective because it allows the audience to step into the bands shoes and experience the look and sound of the city through the music video.

This is an example of long shots of the shops that are relevant to the band's past. They include pubs, shops and seaside carts that they thought were relevant. It could also mean how much has changed about the town they used to live in as this is what the song is about. Throughout these numerous scenes, James sings,

"in my heart and in my soul are all the people that I've known, and the places I've called home,

in my head and in my mind are all just things I've left behind, reminders of the changing times, these ageing bones of mine"

These lyrics imply that everything has changed and James have left everything behind, reminding him of how quickly times change over a short period of time and how that can affect people greatly. The music video links these lyrics to the video through the different places they have filmed. Another example of this which is directly personal to James and Lee is a mid shot of them in front of their old school:

 

The location shot below of the band members show them playing on one of the rides. This could mean that they're going back to their roots and trying to repeat their history, which is what the song relates about - going back to your childhood and seeing how much has actually changed.

The costume of the band members and the characters in the music video is very casual. They're wearing dark and pale blues and shades of purple. This blends into the background of the music video and the location and the fact that it's casual shows it's a very laid back music video.

This is a very calming set of colours to fit with the mood of the music video. I doubt that the other people like the stall owners and public were instructed to wear certain clothes so it has a true reflection on Hunstanton - calming and relaxing.