The document analyzes the music video for "Naughty Boy La La La (ft. Sam Smith)" using various frameworks. It summarizes: 1) The music video uses unconventional characters and narrative elements compared to typical pop videos, drawing inspiration from The Wizard of Oz and focusing on a child protagonist. 2) Symbols and settings are used to convey themes of noise, isolation, and a desire for equilibrium. Bright colors represent happiness but darker tones are used when the child is overwhelmed. 3) While unconventional, the conceptual narrative and intertextual references to The Wizard of Oz appeal to the target 13-30 year old audience and promote discussion, making the video popular despite deviating from typical

1. Music Video Analysis Josh Robinson
Naughty boy La La La (ft. Sam Smith)
Target Audience – Male/Female 13-30 years
Genre – Pop/Dance
Nick Lacey’s repertoire of elements can be applied to the music video of Naughty boy La La La (ft.
Sam Smith) because of the use of characters, narrative events, iconography, setting and technical
and audio codes.
In this music video the characters are unconventional of a music video following the pop genre as
the characters used are similar to those of the Wizard of Oz appealing to the older side of the target
audience, with the story focusing around the child and his helpers, the dog, the scarecrow and the
tin man. All of the characters have
been represented in unusual ways. The
overall colours that appear on the
clothing is bright which symbolises
happiness and freedom, however,
when the central protagonist is
surrounded by loud noises the overall
tone goes darker, creating a sense that
he doesn’t like noise or he is death,
which is an overall theme of the video.
The Tin man character is wearing grey clothing which creates a sense of depression because he
doesn’t have a heart. In terms of Propp’s character roles, the child can be seen as the hero trying to
escape from his life and the companions can be seen a mystical helpers, helping him succeed, the
old man at the start can be seen as the villain of the music video.
The use of narrative within Lacey’s repertoire of elements is applied unconventionally, as it is a
conceptual/narrative music video that makes the spectators think about the meaning of the music
videos narrative. The story focuses on a child that that uses his hands and the words ‘Lalala’ to cover
the sound of loud noises such as shouting or music, this music video can be seen as post modern as
it pays homage to previous texts such as the narrative sharing elements from the Wizard of Oz story,
as it makes intertextual references, such as the Tin man, scarecrow and lion helping the child. This
music video follows Todorovs narrative structure, except for the video not starting with a state of
equilibrium; it begins with a disruption of the equilibrium, the characters recognition of the
disruption, the attempt to solve it and finally restoration of the equilibrium, where the child arrives

2. Music Video Analysis Josh Robinson
in a quiet place with no loud noises. This is expected because of Lacey’s repertoire of elements the
audience usually expect a resolution to equilibrium to happen in pop music videos; however it is
unconventional as they usually follow a romance genre. The video also makes use of Barthes Enigma
code, as the audience are left guessing what will happen next and why the child went to a cave,
making the video more appealing
to the target audience of males and
females aged 13-30 years of age.
During the first sequence of the
music video a shot takes place that
shows a man shouting at this child,
making the audience sympathise
with the central protagonist of the
story, this creates a sense of Levi
Strauss’ opposites as a contrast is
created between the power of the
man compared to the child, finally the during one of the final scenes of the music video, the child
can be seen hugging the mystical helpers that assisted him, which creates pastiche of the ending of
the Wizard of Oz. This however follows the pop genre for music videos as according the Neale’s
mental machinery the conceptual storyline has been accepted well by the subject target audience
and as a result of this the industry have made use of these facts and applied them to the occasional
music video of that genre.
In terms of iconography the props that appear in the music video are very conventional of the
narrative of the music video. The props very much follow the Wizard of Oz storyline along with some
contemporary uses of iconography to give the video a more modern feel to appeal to the target
audience of the pop/dance genre, for example the heart that the child buys for the ‘Tin man’
character, this creates audience familiarity as this also happens in the Wizard of Oz, the heart is
symbolic of feeling which is why the man is supporting the child in his quest to the desert. The
majority of symbols that appear throughout this music video connote sound, for example the cars,
the radio, and the man shouting at the start, the child escaping from these noises is of the
interpretations of this video so these props are expected to match the conceptual/narrative
storyline. The clothing and props used are unusual in this particular genre of music video from the
contemporary era, but they also make this video postmodern as the props used are mixed between
contemporary props and props that would be used in everyday life during the beginning of the
postmodern era, such as the retro vehicles and the radio.
The setting of the video is stereotypical of the conceptual narrative storyline that the video has, the
characters can be seen wandering through the streets of an urban environment, and this follows

3. Music Video Analysis Josh Robinson
Neale’s theory of repetition. This area creates a sense of being trapped and creates a feeling that the
characters are trying to escape the chaos of city life around them, it is when they arrive in the
deserted area that they can be seen isolated, telling the audience that they are returning to a state
of equilibrium.
With the technical and audio codes, a lot of close up/medium shots of the child takes place to show
his emotions and feelings about the situations he is in, this is conventional with videos of this genre
especially the ones which follow a conceptual style. Medium shots also appear to show all of the
characters standing out from the rest
of the people in the urban
environment, as they all look unusual
compared to the other people in the
video, promoting the fact that they
have separated and making the
narrative easier to understand for the
spectator. The lighting matches the
colour scheme as it is very bright
during the scenes where the child is
isolated but in a place of silence, and works well to help create pathetic fallacy in the text, because
equilibrium doesn’t take place in this music video until the conclusion of the music video so the light
changes to create certain moods with a combination of brighter more upbeat colour pallets and
darker less saturated colours.
In terms of Neale’s repetition and difference, the video follows a more conceptual view which
appears in some music videos of this genre, but the reference to other texts makes it separate from
other music videos of the pop/dance genre making it appealing to the audience of 13-30 year olds.
The use of younger characters and a narrative that the audience have to think about and allowing
them to discuss on social network websites such as YouTube makes this text more popular and
unusual. The industry have noted that the audience want something new in pop and dance videos,
because they are used to love stories and dance clubs scenes, and Lalala has done very well when
trying to combat the stereotypical and make a unique video.
To conclude this music video works well with Lacey’s repertoire of elements, it is unconventional for
the pop/dance genre; however it still appeals to the target audience of 13-25 year olds, and the
intertextual reference and conceptual/narrative storyline makes the spectators wonder and adds to
the video.

4. Music Video Analysis Josh Robinson