SD Music Video Analysis

You Are The One - Shiny Toy Guns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC5P69IdscM

Genre and Narrative

I decided to evaluate the music video for “You Are The One” by Shiny Toy Guns which is directed by Masashi Muto and produced by Kazutomo Tanjo. I chose this song due to its video and the use of wind and rain to create an atmosphere which adds to its uniqueness. The song is a fast paced tune and sits within the rock pop genre due to its heavy drums and electric guitars. Songs within this genre tend to have a performance/narrative based music videos but there are occasions where concept has been brought in to make it individual. Rock videos are very likely to have fast paced actions taking place with uses of handycam and a shaky effect.

The lyrics within this song refer to a man who is frustrated by his girlfriend as she is cheating on him, yet he still loves her. A few examples of lyrics throughout the song show his anger. For examples, “your cover melting inside,” this is saying that he can see through her lies as her cover ups are “melting” and becoming old. Another example of betrayal is when he says, “Your God knows who’s faithful,” meaning God knows who is faithful and the girl is not. One of the best lyrics in the song is where it says, “You so believe your own lies,” which is implying that she has been lying so much to him that she is now beginning to think that the lies she is telling him are true. The chorus shows how he does still love her as it says “You Are The One,” but he doesn’t want to as she cheated on him.

The tune itself has a loud drumming beat and constant electric guitar playing. It is generally fast paced until it slows down about two thirds into the song, before it builds back up again. The main thing you notice about this video is the camera is always moving when it is focused on the group, this adds the feeling the something is always going on, which then builds a rock atmosphere which then compliments the tune. Another effect used makes the whole video seem like it is shaking, this adds to the rock mood, making it seem as if the music is so powerful that the camera is moving. The tone is further emphasised by the fast cutting rhythm throughout the video due to the rapid tempo of the song which only slows down for a few seconds.

This music video is part narrative based yet mostly performance based. The narrative feature begins with a girl trapped in a large bubble of water with the band then shown to be playing in front of her. The bubble in the video could refer to the lyrics “you’re more than in my head” meaning she is trapped inside in his head and he can’t stop thinking of her. Throughout the video, she looks around inside her bubble, until the song's bridge, at which point the lead singer touches the bubble and it explodes. This could symbolise that he has finally forgot about the girl and has stopped loving her. Heavy rain then starts falling on the band, and intense winds begin to blow. These elements in the music video really emphasise the rock genre atmosphere and make the video seem a lot louder and more intense. The girl, now free from the bubble, is taken away by what appears to be an angel. The video closes with the band walking toward the camera.

Media Language

Within this music video, visual techniques play a very important part. The frequent close ups of the lead singer help give the audience a look at what he looks like and also longer camera shots give them an overall view of the whole band. The record company is aware that this can help promote the band as it gives an image to the band. Other music videos by Shiny Toy Guns are very different to this one, as they tend to be more abstract and they even have one which is entirely cartoon based. Although their videos vary in style, throughout all of them you can see the use of shakycam and parts that have slow motion. Both of these techniques are used frequently in the rock genre music videos as it builds atmosphere and helps create a powerful sensation.

Costume throughout the video isn’t bizarre but has amounts where it is abstract. The band are wearing simple white clothing which isn’t too unusual but the fact they all are wearing the same makes them look like a band. The characters in the narrative on the other hand, are wearing dark lacy clothes which is contradicting the bands pure white uniform. An angel of some sort is also shown within the music video, so wings on a human body are quite diverse in the sense that you don’t see that every day. I feel that the camera work is the most important element in the whole of the music video as the shakycam, slow motion and use of a crane each add individual effects to it. The shakycam shows the intensity of the song whereas the slow motion emphasises the loud guitar moments within the tune. The crane is also very significant as it never lets the camera be still which is another technique that will build mood. There is no sign of ‘looking’ throughout the video assuming him looking into the camera isn’t taken into account.

Like most rock music videos, “You Are The One” is a mixture between performance and narrative based, with the singer and band as the main focus. Mainstream rock videos tend to have the whole band in the picture with a narrative based around the lead singer. Shiny Toy Guns have followed this mainstream idea but have altered the narrative to be more about a girl than the actual lead singer. Also the use of wind and rain is not commonly used in the way they have done, so that makes the video slightly more unique. The performance of the band isn’t over exaggerated yet rock dance moves such as head banging are brought in for a small time to continue the rock feel of the video.

Institution and Audience

The music video for "You Are The One" would most likely be consumed on one of the many music channels on television but would also be popular on 'Youtube' and 'Myspace'. Due to the genre of the track, channels such as 'Kerrang' would show this video more often as the focused or ambient viewers watching are loyal to this genre of videos. Even though the video can be appreciated in a focused viewing style with the message it is trying to send, the video has many performance based shots which would also work well for the ambient viewing audience.

The record label for this particular song plays an important role concerning the promotional aspect of this video as they would send copies to music channels such as 'Kerrang' as they tend to play a lot of rock music videos but also channels such as MTV would pick up on it. This is due to it being a fairly popular song as it has featured on the game FIFA 2007 which has already boosted it's popularity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, “You Are The One” is a very interesting music video to analyse mainly due to the camera techniques used and also the use of natural occurrences such as wind and rain. Its shakycam method combines well with the face paced, energetic melody as well as the fast camera movements and quick cutting rhythm. Few of the lyrics are illustrated in the music video, but the title could resemble the girl in the bubble and “she is (or was) the one.” The performance/narrative based visuals are a typical convention of rock videos along with the dance moves and band presentation.