The music video for "Arabella" by Arctic Monkeys portrays the titular character as a promiscuous woman from an older era through costume, setting, and acting styles. Scenes show upper-class men and women in the past acting in unconventional, rowdy ways. Fast cuts, shaky camera work, and black-and-white film give the video an immersive, homemade feel consistent with indie rock genres. Close-ups of the lead singer capture his passion for the music and character.

1. Media Task: Music Video Analysis
Arabella: Arctic Monkeys
Overall the videolikemostof the albumisa "Motif of passion'sincessantpull,bothforbetterand
for worse,withthe titularwoman'sunavoidableappeal".
The videobegins andshowsaclipfroma filmreal that someone islookingatthat showsa
promiscuouswomanof whomwe presume isArabellaandof course iswho the songis about.The
songthenstarts witha simple drumbeatanda rhythmguitarwhichsetsthe calm rhythmbefore a
sharp note fromanotherguitarcuts overthe top whichisrepeatedthroughoutthe musictrack along
witha riff whichisa collectionof notesthatare playedtogether tomake a tune.The riffsand sharp
notescouldbe usedto showhowdifferentArabellaistoothers.The main two or three actressesall
portray the character of Arabellawhoisa mix of the leadsingersgirlfriend/fiancéandthe character
fromthe filmBarbarella,referencesare usedthroughoutwhichlinkthe songwith the filmsuch as
"She'sgot a Barbarellasilverswimsuit" .The videoshowsthe charactersoutgoingand wildnature as
well asthe bandsenthusiasticandenergeticapproachtomakingthe musictheylove.
A Lyric usedis“My days endbestwhenthe sunsetgetsitself behind,Thatladysittingonthe
passengerside”The factthat she ridesinthe passengerseatcouldbe hintingthatThe leadsinger
Alex likestoremaindominant inthe relationship,he likesto‘drive’itforward.
The mise-en-sceneinthe musicvideoisverydifferenttomostmoderndaymusicvideosasitis
tellingthe storyof andwomanfrom an oldereratherefore issetinthe pastwhere the clothes
where verysophisticated;clothessuchassuits,blackdresses,shirtsandleopardskincoats.The
costume all togetherportraysa upperclass,sophisticatedselectionof people.The actinginthe
videoiswhatcatchesthe eye more thananythingbecause the peopleare actingina way that you
wouldn'tnormallyexpectfromupperclasspeopleastheyare acting childishandrowdyinmostof
the scenesexcludingthe firstone.Throughoutthe full videoitisonlythe femaleswhoare actingina
rowdymore sexual wayandthismay be because inthose daysit wasthe femalesjobtodoas the
male saysand to almostbe a housewife whilethe manworksandrelaxes. The makeupandhairof
the characters showthe maleswithslickback,well groomedhairandthe femaleswithlongcurled
hair andlarge amountsof make up mainlylipstick,thisagaincouldbe linkedtothembeingwealthy
and self indulgent.
The full videoisinblackand white thataddsto the old fashioned,setinthe past,feel thatthe video
isshowing. Thismaybe alsotodivertmostof the attentiontowhatis goingonin the clipratherthat
some of it beinglostinall the colours. The blackand white or greyscale filterisusuallyusedonindie
rock videossoitshowstheyare stickingtothe conventionsof theirgenre.Throughoutthe videofast
jumpcuts are made andthe videoisspedupandre-windedquicklythiscouldbe toshow the
characters fastpacedlifestyle.

2. Throughoutthe full
clipthe camera is
neversteadyand
almostfeelsasif
someone isfilmingit
witha hand held
camcorder,this
makesus feel likethe
whole production
was made bythemas
there isno professionalismaboutthe waythe camerais usedor positionedspecifically.italsomakes
us feel like we are there inthe scene because we ashumansdon'thave steady visionaswe tendto
move aboutand glance aroundquite frequently.Thisimmersive technique aswell asmakingusfeel
like we are withinthe scene alsoconnectsusmore withthe lyricsandthe productionas a whole.
Duringthe videothere isa multitude of close upsonthe leadsingerwhichcapture hisfacial
expressionsingreatdetail sowe cansee hispassionformusicand the character whois being
described.