First analysis of Arabella

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.
The mise-en-sceneinthe musicvideoisverydifferenttomostmoderndaymusicvideosasitis
tellingthe storyof andwomanfrom an oldereratherefore issetinthe pastwhere the clothes
where verysophisticated;clothessuchassuits,blackdresses,shirtsandleopardskincoats.The
costume all togetherportrays a upperclass,sophisticatedselectionof people.The actinginthe
videoiswhatcatchesthe eye more thananythingbecause the peopleare actingina way that you
wouldn'tnormallyexpectfromupperclasspeopleastheyare acting childishandrowdyin mostof
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 whichaddstothe oldfashioned,setinthe past,feel thatthe
videoisshowing. Thismaybe alsotodivertmostof the attentiontowhatis goingonin the clip
rather thatsome of itbeinglostinall the colours. The blackand white orgreyscale filterisusually
usedon indie rockvideossoitshowstheyare stickingtothe conventionsof theirgenre.Throughout
the videofastjumpcuts are made and the videoisspedupand re-windedquicklythiscouldbe to
showthe characters fastpaced lifestyle.
Throughoutthe full clipthe camerais neversteadyandalmostfeelsasif someoneisfilmingitwitha
handheldcamcorder,thismakesus feel likethe whole productionwasmade bythemasthere isno
professionalismaboutthe waythe camerais usedor positionedspecifically.italsomakesusfeel like
we are there inthe scene because we ashumansdon't have steady visionaswe tendtomove about
and glance aroundquite frequently.Thisimmersivetechnique as well asmakingusfeel like we are
withinthe scene alsoconnectsusmore withthe lyricsandthe productionas a whole.Duringthe

2. videothere isamultitude of close upsonthe leadsingerwhichcapture hisfacial expressionsin
great detail sowe can see hispassionformusicandthe character whoisbeingdescribed.