2. NARRATIVE/ CONCEPTS
The music video for clean bandits ‘Rockabye’ uses a narrative structure throughout, which grips and
creates further meaning and emotion for the audience. This allows the audience to really
understand what the song is about therefore they can put themselves in the persons shoes. The
story is told as if the singer is watching a single mums life unfold, portraying the single mother in a
stereotypical way of having a extremely tough life due to this and unable to make ends meet
without the father around. This furtherly connects to gender stereotypes of females being the
inferior gender, it also carries the stereotype that single parents have to be females when this isn't
always the case and that it is the father that leaves and doesn’t take on responsibilities for the
child. In contrast, the females are portrayed as determined, compassionate, and understanding.
As the audience follow the protagonist's daily life it reflects a common societal issue of not having
much money to live on and people struggling to cope which many will be able to connect with
during this song. The song is about a mother that wants to make a better life her and her child
suggesting she has had bad past and clearly portrays the love she has for her child. However, with
little money she has no choice but to make her money through pole dancing. This makes you as an
audience feel further empathy with her as the cuts of her facial expression, connotations of her
clothes and lyrics etc suggest she doesn’t want to do this job but has no choice. By using a topic
which can be relatable on many levels and able to connect emotionally for many people in some
way allows it to attract a mass audience increasing popularity of the song.
The setting is a bar/pub, a house and public streets very common everyday places for the
public/audience. By using these settings it allows the storyline to be believable and realistic, as it is
set in places which people will recognise furtherly making them able to relate to the protagonist.
The target audience for this video is mainly single mothers with dependant children. however, it
could have a secondary audience appealing to both genders being single fathers and children who
have been brought up with a single parent.
3. LYRICSThroughout the lyrics portray a clear story which is ranforced by the visual narrative and
gives a sense of subject matter. The word ‘Rockabye’ is repeated serval times through the
music video. This word is associated with the nursey rhyme ‘Rockabye baby’ which is used
to soothe a baby to sleep. The nursey rhyme was first made in 1765 by using this nursey
rhyme it reinforces that parents will do anything to keep their babies safe. The story
behind the well known nursey rhyme is about a mother who puts her baby up in a tree in
order to keep him/her safe from things which could potentially hurt the them. This
symbolises that she wants to protect her baby away from any of the dangers in the world
and struggles that she has faced within her lifetime and comfort him with a new life that
she wants to be able to provide him/her. The lyrics are sung by different perceptions
showing it to be a very relatable topic and portrays it as very common. Name of the song
is shown in bold white letters over a calm and happy place which would stereotypically be
associated with holiday’s therefore happiness. The white writing gives connotations of
innocence and purity. This could refer to the baby the song is written about portraying
stereotypes however, this could also be linked to the gender stereotypes of goodness
being connected to females and white being associated colour of striving for perfection
resembling her life and determination.
‘daily struggle’ Sean Paul, reinforcing this isn't just going to pass and is a problem which
the protagonist is left to face daily. The fact that her life is being represented as struggling
daily due to being a single mum emphasises stereotypical characteristics towards her
gender of being ‘weak’ and less able than the opposite gender. A male star sings this
verse which portrays a mans view on her struggle, it shows that although they know her
struggle they aren’t willing to help her which could symbolise the father not caring about
her son and her money problems. This portrays men in a negative way implying that they
are all selfish and only care about meeting their own needs even if this includes watching
others struggle. A dolly shot is used which follows around the men who are shown to be
watching the protagonist pole dancing, the dolly shot shows each one of their faces
synchronise lip syncing to the lyrics which are sung by Sean Paul which reinforces this
point.
4. LYRICS‘Rockabye, don't bother cry, Lift up your head, lift it up to the sky (Rockabye)’-these lyrics
emphasises that she is isolated and alone and if she cries it wont make a difference to her
situation that there is no one to help her and that she has to just be strong for her baby.
This provides motivation for people who may be going through a similar situate however,
also shows the audience the level of hopelessness the mother faces every day. This
opposes the stereotypes connected to characteristics of a female such as being seen as
weak instead it portrays her as strong and determined and that though it is hard she can
do it on her own.
‘she works the nights by the water’ – associations of crying and sadness can be made with
the feelings she has when she goes to work. When this line of this song is being sung the
visuals show the protagonist walking by the water which reinforces the lyrics and creates
further meaning to the audience.
"Your life ain't gon' be nothing like my life." (Straight!)- suggests that her life has been
difficult before and after having her child and she wants to make a better life for him so
that he doesn’t have to feel how she does. Relatable for most parents which have had a
tough life or experiences that they don’t want their children to have to face.
"You're gonna grow and have a good life. I'm gonna do what I've got to do.“ – This line of
lyrics changes perspective and come directly from the mother struggling, the changing of
perspective helps the audience to build up empathy and understanding of what the
protagonist feels herself and people who are going through similar experiences can then
connect more with the song.
‘’For all the single moms out there going through frustration’’, “for all the single mums
out there” – This reinforcing a stereotype that all single parents must be the mother and
that it’s the father that doesn’t pull his weight and if there is single fathers they aren’t
expected to be going through ‘ frustration’ because they are stereotypically the more
powerful and less emotional gender whereby they aren’t seen to be struggling.
5. There is a number of shots and editing techniques used. The most common
is cross cutting between the band/singers and the narrative, creating
meaning and creating a ‘star image’/representation of being understanding.
The age between the protagonist and the singer appears similar to make the
audience make assumptions that she to understands on some degree. It also
makes people who may be going through a similar thing, feel they are being
understood by the singer, portraying the artist as a nice person that people
would like to listen to.
The protagonist is stood in front of the water, she is just a shadow and
everything around her is dark showing her sadness and deep darkness within
her soul that she is trying to cover up it also portrays sadness which can also
be associated with crying and tears, suggesting that she is doing this a lot
but is trying to cover up this emotion by going somewhere quiet to try and
calm the racing thoughts in her mind. This apposes gender stereotypes of
women being emotionally weak as she is able to take herself somewhere else
to forget the bad parts of her life and actually focus on being alive.
By the stars connecting with the audience emotionally it makes them feel like
they are closer to the artist as they may share similar experience’s with her,
it may also make them feel like the artists care about there fans and are
understanding people and their problems. The lead singer Anne Marie is
shown to be part of the story (a bar maid) this job itself is a stereotypical
women's role where she is shown to be waiting on the men reinforcing that
females are there to meet men's needs. She is wearing a similar outfit, with a
white bralette. By the stars appearing in the video it makes the video more
appealing to watch as a fan is able to connect to the meaning of the song
and also to the singer themselves. By Anne Marie’s choice of clothing, the
men who are watching her music video will also promote her and her music
as they will be sexually attracted to her and they would want to see more of
her videos and listen to more of her music.
Mid shots of all the singers and band members are shown. The men in the
music video are covered up mostly wearing black and dull colours, this causes
them to fade into the background showing little flesh, portraying that woman
do not objectify men the way that men objectify women, black gives negative
connotations, potentially suggesting that this pub is an unsafe place to be and
that there are nicer places to be.
Star Image/ mise en scene
6. ‘Rockabye’ fits into the genre of a pop song.
Voyeurism is used throughout the clip on the females costumes whilst only in company of
male characters. This carries stereotypes that women should dress to impress men and that
women are an object to be owned by men and used for their entertainment. The setting
where she is pole dancing is a dark and dingy pub where it seems a place where primarily
males drink at; which reinforces stereotypes connected to alcohol and pubs as being more of
a masculine place whereby they go to watch the football or pole dancing etc. The lead singer
Anne Marie is shown to be part of the story (a bar maid) she is wearing a similar outfit, with a
white bralette this could be a symbolic meaning that she can empathise with the protagonist,
as she is seen to be looked at by the men in the same way reinforcing stereotypical
characteristics of males to only look at females as objects to entertain them. By the stars
appearing in the video it makes the video more appealing to watch as a fan and this connects
the meaning of the song to the singer themselves. By the stars appearing in this video it also
advertises themselves and makes them more known for their music (if they like the
song/video they are watching by seeing the star they may then go on to follow then on social
media and listen to their other songs). By Anne Marie wearing a white bralette and the
women pole dancing it will stereotypically make males also want to watch so they can also
objectify them to gain pleasure. The females are also shown with very open body language
while in the pub reinforcing the negative associations of being easy, Promiscuous etc.
The dim lighting reflects the protagonists feelings of deep sadness that the girl feels and the
unhappiness she has because of her daily reality of life stresses, pressures and difficulties.
The baby is shown to be wearing all white portraying him in a stereotypical way of being pure
and innocent; this colour could also show hope for a future life as it could be symbolic to a
clean slate and starting a new better life. she soothes her baby reinforcing the concept of the
nursey rhyme and the meaning to the audience, by showing her hugging her baby it
reinforces the love she has for him which other parents will empathise with.
The protagonist and her baby are shown with a mid shot, she is wearing a grey top which
gives strong connotations of being emotionless and depression. This could imply that around
her baby she feels the need to be ‘strong’ by not showing her emotions when really she is
depressed and unhappy with the life she has. This opposes stereotypical gender
characteristics and shows the audience that stereotypes aren’t necessarily true that in fact
she doesn’t need a man and she can do it on her own. It can also be associated with dingy
and dirty things, this could further imply her feelings towards the job she does due to how
she is treated at work by the men sexualising her and this reinforces the stereotypes of the
job that she has to do.
Mise En scene/ star image / intertextuality
7. The girl is shown with a mid shot where tops of heads are in shallow depth
of field this reinforces to the audience that she is being watched by others.
She is shown poll dancing this is commonly only connected with females as
entertainment for males. Pole dancing usually is associated with negative
connotations such as being promiscuous, easy and not having respect for
yourself, it isn't seen as a sport alone which it is or carrying positive
association's for people which do it to make money. However, instead of
using this as a way to grip males attention towards the music video by
attracting men in the same way the narrative is actually used in a completely
opposite cay. it clearly portrays the women's feelings to wards her job and
how isolated and alone she is. It shows her desperation to make a better life
for her and her child which has left her no choice but to do this. When she
begins to dance the tempo of the music gets faster which drives the editing
having fast cuts/shots and intercutting between two settings her at the pub
and her outside.
The red background gives connotations to reinforce her personality traits
which the music video is continuously trying to put across to the viewers.
Though, red has many negative connotations which could be symbolic
towards her situation. This could also give the viewers insight into her as a
person rather than just an object as the men view her. The green seat on
her left gives connotations of money yet again reinforcing her drive. The
music video sends a clear message to the viewers to see people as humans
rather than objects.
A close up shot of an old man is shown followed by a mid shot of what he is
looking at (the women pole dancing). He is represented in a stereotypical
way of not caring about health by smoking, not being well groomed/clean
as seen with his long out grown beard, disgusting by looking at young
women in an inappropriate objectifying way.
Editing/ Mise en scene
8. By using the colour red for the curtains it reinforces all the passion and love
she has for her child as red is highly associated with being an emotionally
intense colour; it also shows her characteristic qualities being strong and
determination. It also shows how much she is willing to fight to make her
child’s life better. Whilst trying to keep her son safe she opens up the
curtains to signify there is going to be a better future for him and she steers
him away from the dangers and negativity of society, shielding him the best
she can from the bad parts of the world.
Contrasted with the dim lighting of the pub it is light and colourful outside
the window and she is completely free getting lost in her own world. Long
high angle shot looking down at her- shows how big the area she is dancing
in this further emphasises how free she feels. This signifies she is working
towards a goal in order to be able to feel free and at one with the positive
and negative parts of her life and the world she lives in.
When she is performing in front of the men she closes her eyes and imagines
herself elsewhere in a world she has made in her mind, where she feels safe,
comfortable and free to dance, as the audience may notice there is no one
around her to judge or ridicule her in anyway and in her mind and in this
place she is not being sexualised or looked at in an inappropriate manner.
Her thought process keeps her actively doing her job and earning money for
her child. There is an establishing shot showing the protagonist in this world
she has created. The blue sea surrounding her gives connotations of faith
and calmness. She is high up in the sky and this shows she feels powerful
momentarily and she could overcome anything but this doesn’t last she is
forced to come back into reality and face the real world again.
Mise en scene/ cinematography
9. There are cross cutting between between the band and her and her child This makes the audience
feel like they are looking in the audience are looking in from the right side of the door frame, as if
they are peering around the door and this makes the audience feel like they are part of her life.
The protagonist is shown with a mid shot wearing black and grey giving stereotypes of wanting to
be more reserved, reinforcing that she is uncomfortable with the men looking at her in an
objectifying manner. The contrast in the protagonist's costumes of her being a lot more covered up
suggests that women feel like they need to dress a certain way for men and could symbolise that
she loses herself and goes in a world of her own when she's dancing and imagines she's in places
which she isn’t. So, when she comes out of the pub real life hits her and her struggles hit her also.
Her face is pale and gaunt showing that the life she leads is having an impact on her mental and
physical health.
Through there isn't time to tell the whole story, it skips a few years and the audience can make
assumptions on what happened within that time. The protagonist motivates the editing throughout
whilst cross cutting between the singers/band is incorporated. This helps the audience to be able
to feel like they are being able to follow the protagonist and her story whilst also seeing their a fair
amount of the singers. Overall, the characters are portrayed in a very stereotypical way of males
being the dominant gender only wanting one thing from females and the females.
The mid tracking shot of the protagonist is shown with males behind her looking at her with a lack
of respect by objectifying and sexualising her. This reinforces the stereotypes of males attitude
toward women. She is shown below the males the whole time she walks past them which shows
that women are forced below men in society and that men have a higher place and are therefore
more superior. There is shallow depth of field on the men which makes her facial expression stand
out to the audience and shows how she feels when these men walk past her showing her no
respect. As the tempo of the music gets faster there is an increase of rapid editing being used
which could symbolise how hectic her life has become and how she is struggling to cope with these
changes.
Editing/ Mise en scene/ camera work
10. A long shot through the curtains is used to again emphasise the space she has around
her. She is shown on the same pole outside however in a different location towards the
end of the video being a forest which shows that she is less free than previously was
which could show the audience it’s a long journey to get to where she wants and isn't
quite there yet. There are many tree making her more enclosed as if the reality of life is
closing around her making her feel trapped in a life that she doesn’t want and not
knowing where to turn next. It implies that the protagonist isn't free at the moment due
to the complexities of life and it not being straight forward. The fact that there is many
exits to a forest could symbolise that her life could go in many different directions.
Though there is light appearing through the trees which could represent hope that she
will make a better life for herself and her family, she just has to stay determined. There
is also green and brown colours surrounding her which have connotations of money,
security and stability reinforces this. This sends a strong message to the audience that
anything is possible as long as you stay determined and fight for what you want. High
key lighting is used whilst she is shown outside which gives connotation's of happiness
this could refer to her being optimistic and working herself into a better life for her and
her family.
She is shown wearing black clothing which appears to be similar to underwear. This
shows the audience that she is more free as nobody is around her. This could suggest
that she is imagining that nobody is around her and thinks of happy things while
dancing because she doesn’t want to face the reality of the men watching her as this
may make her feel uncomfortable and would be able to continue with her dancing. It
also shows her love for dancing because she is able to escape her reality and while she
is doing it for a temporary time it makes her forget. The red curtains can be associated
with theatre curtains and performance. The used of Silence as the curtains draw makes
the audience think about what they have just watched and listened to and process the
Cinematography/editing/sound
