The song "Dark Necessities" by Red Hot Chili Peppers was the first single from their eleventh studio album The Getaway. The music video, directed by Olivia Wilde, features longboarders skating around Los Angeles alongside scenes of the band playing in various dark settings that emphasize the song's dark lyrics. Through techniques like key lighting on the lead singer and diegetic sounds matching the beat, the video connects the visuals and action of the longboarders to the lyrics to portray an overall dark and rebellious feeling.

1. Deconstruction 3: Dark
Necessities
William Shiers

2. About
Dark Necessities is a song by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers who are
an alternative rock/funk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 the song was
the first single from their eleventh studio album, The Getaway.
Dark Necessities was successful on the Billboard charts, becoming the band's
13th number-one single on the Alternative Songs chart.
The video, directed by Olivia Wilde and was released through the band's
Facebook page on June 16, 2016. The music video features long boarders skating
around a grocery store, abandoned streets, and the L.A. river, as well as the band
playing the song.

3. Opening with a simple mid shot with the
band shown on a couch however all of
the place looking a bit crazy which also
helps to stereotype the genre of music.

4. Next we see a mid shot of the bass
player however the mise-en-scene is
very important specifically the lighting
and how the light up the bass but leave
the players face out of the light which
emphasises the way in which this song
is bass heavy.

5. Next we see a high angle mid shot of
the lead singer while creating music the
goes with the beat to the song. They
keep this room very dark with only
having one lamp this is to help connote
the songs dark lyrics such as “I keep an
eye on the shadow's smile”

6. The Idea of having longboarders helps
to emphasise the lyrics of “Any way we
roll” but the effect of having a low angle
but with no tilt in the camera helps
make the audience feel the same as the
longboard riders and overall with them.

7. Next we see a close up of the
drummer's foot using the pedal for the
drum set which sets the overall beat of
the song but importantly it helps the
audience see how fast the beat to the
song is but importantly having all band
members using their respective
instruments.

8. We now see the lead singer in the key
lighting while performing the song which
helps the audience to focus on him.
Importantly they decided to have the
lead singer in key lighting because they
are deemed most important and in
charge of the band.

9. However as the song moves onto more
darker lyrics we see the lead singer
moving back into low and dark lighting
to help emphasise the lyrics to the song
as well as no longer having the
sunglasses and hat.

10. This mid shot shows the entire band
performing together and going crazy to
stereotype the genre of music but they
are why this stereotype exists and leave
up to it, importantly we see bands in the
music videos to help people know who
they are to help see what other music
they do.

11. We see a low angle shot of one of the
long boarders roaming the rough side of
Los Angeles this helps improvise the
lyrics “It's like a bit of light in a touch of
dark”.

12. This close up shot they use the diegetic
sound of the slap to also fit into the beat
so by having sounds you expect to hear
also fit into the song helps to add the
overall connection between the song
and music video.

13. In Conclusion
Overall the key conventions are the dark atmosphere and the idea of another set
of characters separate to the band however that other set of characters actions
link to the lyrics of the song.Ideas that I will take away consist of the idea of a
band performing and the idea of single lights as well as the stereotypes we see in
different genres of music. The overall feeling we get from this song is a dark
rebellious side with the idea of what the longboard riders are doing and what is
known as wrong.