Genre and goodwin’s theory in arabella by the Artic Monkeys

1. Genre and
Goodwin’s theory in
Arabella by the Artic
Monkeys

2. The video:

3. Genre
The genre of the song Arabella is categorised under the section of indie
music. This is due to the music video being filmed entirely in black and white
with a handheld camera to give it an old and low budget finish to the end
product which is a common trait of a indie music video. The video also
contains a load of shots of the boys from the band who look to be
performing live as the music video of the band is in time to playing when the
song is. This is a common music trait of any genre but because it is
emphasises over anything else, it gives a typical trait of the music genre of
indie again by having the video being very band shot heavy.

4. Lyrics
The lyrics of the music video sometimes match with the actions that are being
performed on screen. This is present in the music video when we here the
lyric “her lips are like the galaxies edge”, during the line the audience witness
and extreme close up on Alex Turner, who is the leader singer. The extreme
close up is of Turners lips and we see him sing the lyric but the extreme close
up emphasises on his lips as the lyrics are being sung purely for effect.

5. Close Ups
The main close up shots that are used in the music video are of the band. As
the band is the main focus, the shots vary from drummer, bassist, lead
guitarist and singer. The main focus however in the video is the lead singer
and by having the majority of shots being focused on him shows Turners
importance in the band. The shots of the band are mainly all close ups to
emphasise on there togetherness as a band which is a key feature in the
music video for any given indie genre song.

6. The male gaze
The female gaze theory is applied to the music video from the very beginning
of the music video. In a high angle long shot we see a woman sitting in a
small dress. This is emphasising on certain parts of the woman's body in order
to get the attention of the male eye in the video. The mise-en scene has an
effect due to her costume and make up being made in order to make her
look appealing. The woman is seen smiling with blonde hair and a leopard
print coat which is defining her as being a predator as she is wearing the print
and portrays her as being dangerous.

7. Intertextual
Within the music video there are small references being made to other films.
One of which is a film noir which is a reference to a old classic French film
which are more commonly in black and white with people smoking as seen
frequently in the Artic monkeys music video. The French film noir is a classic
use of cinematography that is used to create an emotion of mystery and
mischief. This can relate to the Arabella music video by describing the band
and women who are emphasised in the music video as being both
mischievous and cunning.