1. Detailed analysis of music videos
Artist: Foster The People Song title: Houdini
Concept/narrative: The performers die but the businessmen puppet them to perform (corporate
puppets, owned by media, etc.)
Features Observations Examples
Genre characteristics Indie Rock derives from independent
labels which have a low budget -
have a “do it yourself” feel using
simplistic effects.
There is a very small use of CGI
in the video with it even being set
in a small studio. The CGI isn’t to
a fantastic standard either, there
are also not a lot of after effect
used, with it being mainly
focused on acting.
Relationship between
lyrics and visuals
The lyrics of this song focus on a
theme of being controlled, talking
about being shackled down and
being made to compromise through
fear. The whole narrative of the
video contradicts the lyrics as we
see the band members be literally
physically controlled against their
will by the company that runs their
band while they sing about breaking
free and not letting anyone control
you.
During the chorus the lyrics read
“Got shackles on, my words are
tied, fear can make you
compromise”, at the same time
we can see the band members
being puppeted around by
people who work for the
corporation, being made to
dance around. This is an obvious
juxtaposition between the visuals
on screen and the lyrics - which
can be interpreted as them
saying to not end up like they
have.
Relationship between
music and visuals
There are certain sections where the
artists in the video lip sync in time
with the music, and are also
controlled to dance in tune with the
music.
During the chorus of the song
you see the band members being
made to dance in tune with the
music - you also see a section of
the video where one of the
characters is forced to lip-sync
with the lyrics.
Are there close ups
of the artists and star
image motifs?
No. NA
Is there reference to
the notion of
looking?
No. NA
2. Are the examples of
intertextual
references?
The song is called ‘Houdini’,
referencing the famous magician
and illusionist. The song itself talks
about being controlled, and saying
to not be shackled down - this could
be seen as a reference to the fact
that Houdini used to escape
shackles, and the fact that it was all
actually just an illusion; as with the
video, their performance is just an
illusion, the same as Houdini’s
tricks.
In the music video it shows the
band members being
transformed into robots, made to
sing and perform their concerts
autonomously. This alludes to the
title of the song ‘Houdini’, who
was famously an
illusionist/escape artists, this
shows that this video is making
reference to the fact that their
performance isn’t real, it’s an
illusion for what the company
wants them to look like instead of
what they want to be.
Is the video category
illustration,
amplification or
contradicting? How
much of each?
At first look this video appears to be
more in the contradictory category,
the lyrics of the song greatly
contradict the visuals of the video,
with the band’s performances being
almost completely opposite to what
the lyrics are suggesting.
The video has very strong
connotations to being controlled
and being a sort of media
‘puppet’, doing exactly what is
wanted from you and earning the
company money. This shows that
the video is trying to tell a story
or get a point across, making it
