Music Video Analysis: Muse

Knights of Cydonia Music Video Analysis

 

 

 

Conventions:

Camera Angles:
-The video has a similar opening to old western films with the freeze frame and the titles popping up.
-The shots are medium and close which helps to feel like the scene is action packed.


Editing and Effects:
-  titles popping up. and it cuts in time with the music, which is slowly building up, which gives the impression that these opening scenes are the first steps of the narrative.
- Some shots establish that the lyrics being sang are directly linked to the events in the narrative, because of the use of a cross fade
- The music at this point is fast paced and the cuts relay this, however the crossfade goes with the lyrics, not the beat of the music, which is unusual yet also helps to continue to establish a link between the performers and the narrative which continues to reinforce this video as an amplification video
Lighting:
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Narrative:
- Muse's song Knights of Cydonia has a quirky, surreal and interesting narrative which helps to draw viewers into the small story and the song itself
- The video illustrates and amplifies the song whilst taking inspiration from classic western, kungfu and sci fi movies.
- Performers are always shown as being separate so it gives the impression that the band are similar to narrators of a story: separate yet involved with the narrative.

Mise en Scene:
- The costume and setting is similar to Western attire which helps to enhance the feel of stylisation within the video.
- The performers are wearing clothes which are smart and dark which is not exactly the same as the western and Kunfu costumes that the cast of the narrative.

Genre:
- The fact the narrative is so stylised, helps to draw interest into the song and also shows an insight into what message the band are trying to deliver to the audience, as it could be showing the themes and genres of films that have influenced and inspired them.

 

These sections involve the performers lipsyncing and playing instruments in sync with the music.This is a Mexican playing the trumpet. This shot is actually shown when a fanfare plays in the song, so this could be classed as a shot of a performer. This helps to make the music feel like part of the narrative. The fact that the Mexican is the only person in the shot makes him central and makes the viewer feel like they are out in the desert, listening to him play his trumpet.

This is another shot that helps to bridge the gap between the narrative and the performance, however in this shot the performers are the main focus. This helps to make the Promo video seem directly related to the song, as even though this is a close up shot of the singer, he is situated within the setting of the narrative, which helps to make the two seem linked. The shots change with the music still bit in this section it focuses on the band, which helps to remind people that this narrative heavy video is still a music video, despite the band appearing as holograms. The band sings in sync with the music here too, and they are the main focus of this segment as this scene is within a big block of lyrics.

This shot helps to make the narrative and the performance feel  like they directly link to each other. The performers and the characters featured on the narrative are being shown in the same frame, despite them being in two different areas as several shots have been merged so the narrative appears as the central focus. The performers take a secondary role again, acting as background performance during this scene, as the music at this point is instrumental. The scene is well lit as the scene is supposed to be set out in the desert.