My notes from this music video are in the image below.
The music video begins with a tracking shot of the main talents feet and a shopping trolleys wheels. We associate trolleys away from supermarket grounds with young people "having a laugh" and up to mischief. However, as the trolley is being pushed, it goes over used needles and in the foreground of the shot in the distance which is blurred, we can see white plastic bags. This further reinforces the fact that this music video is shot in a "rough" stereotypical area which is coded for drug use and etc. To emphasize this point, the cinematography quick cuts to a location shot. The camera is still whilst the main talent is pushing large objects in the trolley from right to left of the shot showing the rubbish.
As the music video progresses, more location shots are used of stereotypical council flats. These shots are used to create realism to the audience due to how we relate chavs, gangs and rough environments from this. In the next shot we are shown the main talent in a square surrounded by the flats, this represents how he is trapped in this environment and is alone. Medium shots are used when we finally see our main talent sat facing the drum kit. When he tilts his head, editing of shots are used to create the day shot to be night, however continuity is present as the main talent is in he same position. We then quick cut and edit back to a day shot (medium shot) - This allows the foreground of an old poster board to attract our attention. When the main talent begins to play the drum kit in front of him, the lights flicker which could connote how a stage would light up when a band begins to play or how playing the drums makes him enjoy himself and feel better regardless of the environment he lives in and is surrounded by.
Throughout this music video there is a slight repetition with the use of close-ups of the main talent, his instrument, the medium shot of the main talent and his instrument and location shots of the main talent in the square (long shot). High and low angle shots on the other hand aren't use so frequently through the video, however, these being less regular allow the audience to not get bored of the video as even though the frame of the shot itself is different, the way it is shot isn't. This is a good way to keep the audience watching.
In this music video I have already established the use of stereotypes being coded for in this music video (seen below). However, at 1.55 into the music video, this stereotype of "chav" comes into the shot throwing chips at our main talent; This reinforces the idea of the certain types of people we would establish with council flats.
At 2.50 in the music video, a school girl pours milk into the main talents mouth as he is obviously warm from playing his instrument non-stop. Relating this to Laura Mulvey's male gaze and how men are more dominant over women... This is shown how a school girl is used rather then a girl the main talents age to show how he is more dominant over the school girl as school girls are seen to be vulnerable and the fact that a medium frame is used when filming her represents how he is more dominant as she is not filling the frame, only a third in some cases. Even though he is the protagonist in the music video we still know how he is more dominant over the young school girl due to our association with the cinematography and a theory which most people think is true (me being dominant over women in general).
The next shot, in my opinion doesn't allow the music video to have continuity throughout as this is in a different mise-en-scene and looks more abstract rather than the realism used by the for key elements in the rest of the music video.
As the actor in this music video carries on the play the drums at 3:00 he has played until his hands have bled which keeps the audience guessing weather the song has ended or not as the music as the music stops playing which stops when the actor does too. The drumming begins again after the actor looks at his hands in a proud mannerism.
Finally a man whom of which I presume is living in the neighborhood, lifts his head whilst holding a bat in a mid close up shot which reinforces his anger and the use of lighting creates shadows due to his expression on his face. This represents how sick he is of the music; however the music stops just before he hits the boy playing the drums.This could be a connotation on the society we live in today, instead of asking the boy to move on he'd assault him. Is our society seen this way? I believe this is showing life of a lower social class however involving a matter which we can all take into account which is to "think before we do". This is relating to the theory of Tessa Perkins stereotyping. Her theory suggests how not all stereotypes are negative which is shown by the main talent in this music video as he is playing the drums to block out the reality around him. In this music video he is seen to be the protagonist and the stereotypical chavs and the man with the bat (at the end of the video) are seen as the antagonists for the short period of time they are in the music video. This could also relate to Levi Strauss' Theory of binary opposites as we have both protagonist and antagonist in this music video even though the narrative is limited. It is more of a visual/abstract music video rather than a narrative between the protagonist and antagonist however it helps us to understand the stereotype we'd expect from the location the music video is shot at.
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