Music Video Analysis

1. The Neighbourhood- Let It Go Music Video Analysis
The music video I have chosen to analyse is 'Let It Go' by the alternative/indie rock band
The Neighbourhood. It is a narrative/conceptual style video, shot in black and white which is
part of the bands style. The band do not feature at all in the video instead tells the story and
shows the life of a woman who is frustrated and upset with her life as a housewife yet has to
'let it go' and carrying on living her life the way it is.
From the Mise en scene throughout the video we get the idea that it is set in 1950s America.
The clothing of the characters and the setting around them are all from around this era. The
representation of the characters within the video is very stereotypical of this time. The female
is represented as a 1950s housewife. She is dressed in a polka dot blouse, with a frilly apron
wearing a pearl necklace and bright red lipstick. From the beginning there are shots of the
female character in the kitchen doing household chores, cooking and cleaning and appears
to constantly forcing a smile. However the male character is shown as a stereotypical
business man. He is dressed in a suit and is shown to be served and loved by his wife.
The iconography used within the music video has symbolic meaning which ties in with the
narrative. In one particular scene of two couples sat having dinner together, from the point of
view of the main character, they are shown to be hastily eating and drinking and smoking
money indicating they are greedy and
very money orientated. There is also
symbolic meaning in the women's
glasses. She takes them off and puts
them in front of the camera in an attempt
for the audience and her husband to
maybe see the life from her point of view.
This makes it clear that she dislikes her
role as the perfect housewife.

2. There is a clear juxtaposition between the way the
main character presents and this is shown through the
technical aspects of the video. There is a close up of
the women smiling which is how she herself to the
way she really feels inside appears on the outside
however these contrasts with the close up shot of her
eyes where she is crying and looks upset which we
know are her real feelings that she hides behind her
smile.
The lighting in the video also helps convey the two sides of the
main character. There is dark low key lighting showing her
crying and angry throwing things and screaming, this helps
shows us her dark side as when she is portraying herself as
the 'perfect housewife' the lighting is more high key making a
more positive effect.