A detailed textual analysis of the music video "Robbers" by the band "The 1975".

1. Music Video Analysis

2. Types of Music Videos
• Spectacle: Interaction with the viewer, direct address, Male
and Female Gaze (Mulvey and Hansen)
• Performance: Artist performing, motifs, unusual settings, real
life, fooling around.
• Thematic: Conforms to the theme of a genre the same way that TV
does.
• Narrative: Tells a story through implication and lyrics, film
structure of beginning, middle and end, fast paced, lots of
shots, artists can be part of the story directly, as an
observer or separate.
• Symbolic: Semiotic signs and symbols are used to build meaning,
montage, lighting etc.

3. Director and Style
• Video Director: Tim Mattia
• Style of Director: Pastel and black and white colours, lowly
saturated colours, mostly indie and indie rock music genre
with some pop stars represented within his work, narrative
storyline, narration breaks, use of editing tools to add
elements such as flare and soft lighting and finally the
handheld style filming which shows movement.
• Examples of Director’s Work: Halsey: Colours, Troye Sivan:
Youth, The 1975: Robbers, Biffy Clyro: Animal Style, The
Pretty Reckless: Goin to Hell and Nicole Scherzinger: On the
Rocks.

4. Successfulness
• Success of the Video: The video is very successful and tells
an interesting narrative in a non cohesive order which is an
interesting perspective.
• The use of colours works well in that pastel hues are
employed throughout.
• The cuts between shots are not always on the beat of the
music and shot length varies quite often making the
experience less of a stereotypical music video and more like
a short film.
• Key Selling Points: The reflections of youth stereotypes in
accordance with Ann Gould’s theory with youth as
rebellious, nihilistic and sexual as some examples. The
aesthetic is also very pleasing. The storyline sells well as
a short film not only as a music video.

5. Target Audience
• Young and Rubicam’s 4C Model: A, B, C1, C2, D and E.
• GEARS: Gender, Ethnicity, Age, Region and Socio-Economic
Class.
• CAGES: Class, Age, Gender, Ethnicity and Sexuality.
• Traditional Segmentation Model: Explorer, Aspirer,
Succeeder, Reformer, Mainstream, Struggler and Resigned.

6. Target Audience
• Young and Rubicam’s 4C Model: A, B, C1, C2, D and E.
• A: Upper middle class: High managerial, administrative or
professional
• B: Middle class: Intermediate managerial, administrative or
professional
• C1: Lower middle class: Supervisory or clerical, junior managerial,
administrative or professional
• C2: Skilled working class: Skilled manual workers
• D: Working class: Semi and unskilled manual workers
• E: Lowest: State pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or
lowest grade workers, students
• This video mostly fits within the C1, C2, D and E segmentation
brackets in its representation and narrative although the music
itself and thus the video could fit any group despite the subject
matter of song and video.

7. Target Audience
• GEARS: Gender, Ethnicity, Age, Region and Socio-Economic Class.
• Gender: Any gender as there is a male and female lead.
• Ethnicity: Any ethnicity although some groups may feel
underrepresented within the music video.
• Age: 14-25 as the storyline conveys the flaws of human nature
which applied to everyone, lust, greed etc, but the genre is
most listened to by teenagers.
• Region: The band themselves are from England although their
music videos are often filmed in America and thus region
becomes less relevant.
• Socio-Economic Class: Lower middle to working class due to the
nature of the storylines e.g. bank robbers being a concept that
is enjoyed more within media by such groups.

8. Target Audience
• CAGES: Class, Age, Gender, Ethnicity and Sexuality.
• Class: Lower middle to working class due to the nature of the
storylines e.g. bank robbers being a concept that is enjoyed
more within media by such groups.
• Age: 14-25 as the storyline conveys the flaws of human nature
which applied to everyone, lust, greed etc, but the genre is
most listened to by teenagers.
• Gender: Any gender as there is a male and female lead.
• Ethnicity: Any ethnicity although some groups may feel
underrepresented within the music video.
• Sexuality: The relationships featured within the video are
heteronormative which means that this would be who the video
audience is most likely to be as they feel represented.
Although, other groups may also enjoy the video just as much.

9. Target Audience
• Traditional Segmentation Model: Explorer, Aspirer, Succeeder, Reformer,
Mainstream, Struggler and Resigned.
• The Explorer: Driven by a need for discovery and/ or challenge
• The Aspirer: Materialistic/ care about what others think
• The Succeeder: Self confidence/ strong goal orientation/ organised
• The Reformer: Values their own independent judgement/ anti
materialistic
• The Mainstream: Largest group/ core need is security/ live in a daily
routine
• The Struggler: Seek escape/ live for today few plans tomorrow
• The Resigned: Aim to survive/ predominantly older people
• The audience for this video is most likely to fit into the category of
The Struggler and The Reformer as this is the group represented within
the video. Although other groups may still watch for entertainment
purposes in accordance with the Uses and Gratifications approach.

10. The 1975: Robbers
• Length: 4.31
• Themes: Love, lust, greed, self destruction, recklessness of
youth, corrupt relationships.
• Type of Music Video: Narrative, thematic, performance,
symbolic.
• Relatable Theorists: Ann Gould’s ‘Youth Stereotypes’and
Roland Barthe’s ‘Narrative Codes’.

11. Mise en Scene
• 0.05: The mid two shot shows both the lead singer of the band and
an actress in the roles as the two lovers who are dancing. This
sets up the idea that artist will be directly involved in the
narrative storyline. The colours are faded and the setting is at
night which could stress the idea that the couple thrive in
darkness as a corrupt couple like Bonnie and Clyde whilst the song
is based on the performance of Patricia Arquette’s character in
the film ‘True Romance’(narrative).

12. Mise en Scene
• 0.15: The two main protagonists are shown as silhouettes
passing a cigarette over, this links to Anne Gould’s theory
of the youth as self-destructive. The silhouettes could also
link to the theory as voiced by Plato as the shadows being
lesser versions of the real beings which could mean that the
couple are merely shadows of what they could be or have been
(symbolic and thematic of youth).

13. Mise en Scene
• 0.20-4.31: The pace of the shots begins increasing and introducing
multiple locations; this could connote the fast paced lifestyle of
the couple within the narrative and how they are often moving from
location to locations as wanderers with no purpose but to pursue
their desires (narrative, symbolic).
• 0.32: The couple and friends are at an empty swimming pool with
graffiti on the walls as they hang out; this links to Ann Gould’s
theory of youth as an artificial tribe (thematic).

14. Mise en Scene
• 0.37: The two lovers share a cigarette, pills and alcohol and finally kiss
which links to Ann Gould’s theory of youth as self-destructive and sexual.
The colours of the scene are very muted and unsaturated which could infer
that the couple come into life when being dangerous and committing crimes
which is when colours are more prevalent in the video (thematic and
symbolic).
• 1.08: The return of the main protagonist singing to his partner within the
video which could thus show the performance side which has been placed
within the narrative and is not like a performance music video that employs
spectacle.

15. Mise en Scene
• 1.23: The main female protagonist is in the bathroom whilst taking
drugs which again links to Ann Gould’s theory of youth as self-
destructive and nihilistic (thematic, narrative).
• 1.46: The bloody handprint is foreshadowing what is to come and is
also an example of deliberately altered cohesive shot order. The
blood could also be a semiotic sign of the damage that their
relationship has on each other; they are robbers but they are also
robbing each other of many things such as emotions.

16. Mise en Scene
• 2.05: The male protagonist uncovers a gun to show his partner. This
prop and scene becomes linked to Roland Barthe’s narrative action
code that further action will occur due to this scene although it
could unravel multiple ways meaning it is of open structure. This
section also demonstrates the stressed relationship between the two
protagonists. This also links to Ann Gould’s theory of youth as
violent (thematic and narrative).

17. Mise en Scene
• 2.40: The couple are shown sat down with masks on; this mask is
explicitly there as they intend to commit an armed robbery but
could also be an implicit symbol that they wear masks to hide who
they truly are from each other when constantly robbing each other
of emotions (narrative and symbolic).
• 2.44: The couple are seen undressing one another which links to Ann
Gould's theory of youth as sexual(thematic).

18. Mise en Scene
• 3.30: The main protagonist gets shot and rushed into the van with
his accomplices. This can link to Ann Gould’s theory of youth as
self-destructive who act in their own self-interest and in doing so
often hurt themselves (thematic and narrative).
• 4.11: Money thrown in the air in celebration of the successful
robbery despite the injury that occurred. Again links to Ann
Gould’s theory of youth self-destruction that they would get hurt
for money (thematic and narrative).

19. Camera
• 0.05: No use of Steadicam which means the shot reflects the
movement of the two protagonists who are dancing; creates a sense
of spectacle in the audience feels involved (spectacle).
• 0.15: Mid two shot of the main protagonists exchanging a cigarette
whilst becoming intimate which is reflected by the pastel pink
lighting in the backdrop. The cigarette becomes the bridge to the
next scene (symbolic).

20. Camera
• 0.17: Extreme close up on a hand holding a cigarette which then
tracks up the body to the close up on the main protagonists face
almost silhouetted against a backlight; this provides an idea of
what shapes the artists identity (symbolic).
• 0.00-4.31: The lacking use of a Steadicam reflects the unstable
relationship between the two main protagonists (symbolic).

21. Camera
• 2.01: Cut in on the gun that serves as an action code as according
to Roland Barthe’s theory (thematic).
• 2.40: Mid two shot of the couple wearing face masks ready to commit
a robbery which depicts the importance of this scene within the
narrative (narrative).

22. Camera
• 2.45: Mid two shot from a low angle with a shallow depth of field
which means the focus is on the undressing couple which conforms to
both Laura Mulvey’s The Male Gaze and Miriam Hansen’s The Female
Gaze due to a wide target audience (thematic).
• 2.57: Tracking shot follows the couple as they walk towards the
location of the armed robbery which again makes the audience feel
part of the action followed by a zoom out on establishing shot of
location (spectacle).

23. Editing
• 0.03: Camera fades in from black screen. This could emphasise the
darkness within the couple (symbolic).
• 0.08: The band and song title fade in over the image to remind the
viewer that the narrative is linked to the purpose of cementing the
meanings of the song and its lyrics (thematic).
• 0.00-0.08: Long shot duration as the music fades in; establishes
the sound bridge with the pace of the video.

24. Editing
• 0.00-4.21: Cohesive order of shots is flouted so shots are not in
order of events, could represent the chaotic lifestyle of the two
protagonists (symbolic).
• 3.12-3.25: The music halts as the couple run in to rob a shop;
synchronous sounds such as car engine, gun fire and shouts can be
heard from within the scene, the music begins again once the
protagonists leave through the door.

25. Editing
• 3.35: Parallel editing of the sexual scenes intermittent between
the shots of the struggle after being shot; could imply that love
and pain are not that different (symbolic).
• 3.43: The female lead mouths the words of the song at the same time
the music plays to further link the meaning of the lyrics with the
narrative outlined in the video.
• 4.26: Music fades out as screen fades back to black to signal end
of the video; links to film structure (narrative).

26. Sound
• 1.12: Diegetic implied sound, the overlaid soundtrack links
to the mouthing of the words by the lead singer performing
them in character (performance).
• 3.12-3.25: The music halts as the couple run in to rob a
shop; synchronous sounds such as car engine, gun fire and
shouts can be heard from within the scene, the music begins
again once the protagonists leave through the door.
• 3.43: The female lead mouths the words of the song at the
same time the music plays to further link the meaning of the
lyrics with the narrative outlined in the video.
• 4.26: Music fades out as screen fades back to black to
signal end of the video; links to film structure
(narrative).