The video for Pendulum's song "Watercolour" is set on an unknown planet eclipsed by the sun, adding an element of surrealism reflecting the band's futuristic style. Throughout the video, the band is shown battling the strong forces of wind and rain, conveying the idea of power and linking to the song's powerful bass-dominated music. Close-ups of the band members' distressed faces as they persevere show the physical effort of breaking boundaries in their music, relating to lyrics about perseverance and motivation. By the end of the video, the band is fully exposed to sunlight, representing their success in rebelling against mainstream music conventions.

1. Music Video Analysis

2. Of monster and men – Little Talks

3. CGI has been heavily used in this video
to enhance its surrealism and overall
appearance. The video shows the band
travelling through an unknown world,
various exuberant scenes and mystical
monsters have been created to visually
excite the viewer whilst it also reflects
on the bands quirkiness.
The sudden burst of colour in the
monochrome video adds
excitement and further enhances
the surreal look of the video. The
heavy use of colour also focuses
the viewers attention on the lead
singer.
A close up camera angle is used to
introduce the viewer to the lead
vocalists face. The close up also shows
direct address, this connects the
viewer to the video and also allows
the woman to convey the emotion
and power of her character through
her facial expressions. The heavy
make up also adds to the surreal
aspect of the video.
There is a strong reflection between
the video and the bands Icelandic
background. The use of a traditional
Icelandic ship and statues is a clever
way of showing this.
CGI is used here effectively to create
a demonic bird with 2 heads. This
gives the video a ‘nightmare’ quality
which could reflect the surreal
theme shown throughout the video.
The characters are shown swinging
along the rope, this movement is
effective as they move in time to
the beat, therefore connecting the
song to the video.
Here we see a close up of a band
members face. It is a contrasting
shot as it shows realism and
surrealism together, the human
head against an underwater
background. This bizarre
combination represents the
quirkiness of the band.
Close up two shot is used to
show reaction and identity. By
using a tracking shot to show
the band stood together it
implies a sense of unity within
the band.

4. Sub focus
Sub focus are a drum and bass band. Their videos reflect the modern genre and its futuristic
sound. The song is called ‘Tidal Wave’ and the video relates to the title well as it is set on
the beach, using shots of waves to reinforce the title. Fast cuts at the beginning match the
beat of the song, shots of locations such as the blue sea, white sands and sunsets are also
used to set the idyllic scene, this implies that tidal wave is an idyllic song. In the video we
see the female singer exploring her surroundings. As Sub Focus’ target audience is young
people she appeals to the audience with her stylish hair, make up and attire. There is also
an element of male gaze, as she is clearly styled to look attractive. The video is vibrant in
colour which reflects the sound of the song as its high tempo. Camera effects are an
important element in the video, layering and mirrored images are used to add a surrealism,
this ties in with the sound of the band as they are quite futuristic.The story of the video
shows a man and woman travelling separate journeys to find something. This rlates well to
the chorus lyrics ‘I’m tired of being on the outside, I wanna know what its like.’ This could be
interoperated as the man and woman are searching for something because they are tired of
being alone, as the video suggests. The ending shows them both discovering a perculiar
circular object in the sky, almost UFO like. This successfully concludes the story line, making
the video feel meaningful and also reinforces the futuristic link between the bands music
genre and the video.

5. Chase and Status – Count On Me
Chase and Status are another drum and bass band with a similar sound to Sub focus.
They use fast cutting rates to reflect the fast tempo of the song. The drum and bass
genre is most commonly played in nightclubs, the band therefore has a huge young
adult fan base and its important that the video appeals to this audience. I believe that
the video has achieved this through their use of young adult characters engaging in
activities associated with their age, such as attending festivals and raves. I think Chase
and Status are trying to portray an image that they are ‘cool’ in order to further appeal
to the young audience. The characters are styled in street wear, e.g branded hooded
jumpers and hats. There is also a lot of close ups and camera work focusing on smoking
and drinking, arguably these are habits considered to be cool amongst the 18-30’s. The
audience can relate to this as for many of them this is the image they portray
themselves, so they can connect to the video and song. The song is fast tempo and the
video has a fast cutting rate, this connects the two together. An important part of the
video is the use of real footage from Chase and Status playing at a festival, camera
work shows a vast crowd of people enjoying their music.This makes the audience
appreciate the success of the band and also it sets an energetic atmosphere, matching
the energy of the song. The video also uses a sequel of images to enhance the
excitement of the video, images such as dilating pupils, arm hairs standing upright and
a fast heartbeat monitor all imply intense excitement, I believe this is the effect that
the song is supposed to have on the audience.

6. Pendulum - witchcraft
The song ‘Witchcraft’ reflects well in the music video. A use of dark lighting and colours
connotes ideas of mystery and evil, both things associated with witchcraft. A woman floating
underwater gives a sense of something supernatural, another connotation with witchcraft. As
the song gets faster there is an increase in the cutting rate. A key theme of the video is the idea
that the woman is coming back to life, at the start we see her floating with her eyes closed, as
the song as the song progresses she starts to move and rise. As she becomes more ‘alive’ the
songs tempo increases, linking the song with the video.. Close ups are used repeatedly on the
bands instruments, this shows off the bands skills and also creates a link between the visual
and musical elements. The clothes the band wear are black, this is fitting with the colour
scheme of the video. In contrast, the woman is wearing a white dress. Implying that she is
different from everyone else, perhaps in the paranormal sense. The sharp contrast between
the heavy use of black throughout the video and the white dress, makes her a focal point.
Lighting is used effectively in the video, flashes of bright light and lasers add create a sense of
chaos and exhilaration. CGI is used in the video to enhance the setting, in the video objects
such as stone and rubble float in the air as if gravity doesn’t exist. This adds to the surreal and
supernatural theme that appears throughout. Another idea is that the video is set in space,
where there is no gravity. This would relate well to the song as there are lyrics such as ‘you
gotta get out, go far away.’

7. Pendulum - watercolour
The video for watercolour is set on an unknown planet eclipsed by the
sun, this adds an element of surrealism, reflecting on the bands
futuristic style. Watercolour is the lead single from their most successful
album ‘Immersion’. With it being the lead single it is important that the
video reflects what the album is all about. The idea that that the band
are immersed in darkness connects to the album title, however by the
end of the video the band are fully exposed to sunlight. This could be
perceived as the band persevering to break the boundaries of music,
sucessfully rebelling againt the conventions of mainstream music. This
could also relate to the lyrcis ‘’feed the fire, break your vision.” This
implies perseverance and motivation. The band are renowned for their
powerful songs, as the use of heavy bass dominates their music. This is
reflected in the video. The band are shown to be fighting natures
elements wind and rain. Close ups of their faces are used to show
physical distress as they battles against the strong forces. This conveys
the idea of power so there is an obvious link between the song and
video. Throughout the video the lead singer is standing in front of a
large stack of speakers. This reinforces the drum and bass genre as
close ups show the vibrations from the loud music.

8. Pendulum – The Island Pt.1
The video starts with the shadow outline of an island, letting the audience know
where the story is set. The idea that the location is an island reflects the title. Just like
the other Pendulum videos, surrealism is a running theme. The video shows a girl
waking up in an unknown vast desert land on the island. The audience is clueless as to
why she is there, this adds mystery to the storyline and keeps the audiences attention.
As the song increases its tempo, the intensity of the video as the woman is distressed
that she cannot the mystery object in the far distance. Throughout the video, cuts of
the lead singers face are shown as he sings the narrative, this connects the band to the
video. The ending of the video is the most important element, it shows the woman
taking a fall down a hill and we see her unconscious on the floor. ‘The island’ is a two
part song, meaning there will be a second video so It is important that the video ends
on a cliff-hanger. This is a clever technique to promote the band as there is an instant
buzz created around the second part, as the fanbase are intrigued to know what will
happen next.

9. Theres a lot of intertexuality used on the pendulum website. This is an important technique to promote the brand image, as the more
recognizable the image is, the more popular it will become. Firstly we see that Pendlum is bodly written across the top of the web page, this
ensures that it is the first thing the viewer sees and straight away you feel like you’re at the centre of all things pendulum. The important thing
about this title is that this font is consistently used for anything with their name on it. Another example of intertextuality on the site is the
background. The album cover for their latest single ‘Crush’ is also the background, and therefore promoting the single. The website also uses a
banner to advertise the bands latest single, it clearly stands out against the rest of the page with its segregated box and large title. Its important
to exhort every way of promoting this single in order to increase sales. Another unique point about the background is that it gives the viewer
the option of actually changing the background to a variety of past single covers. This makes the fans feel more connected with the band and
website as they can personalise the site. There is also an option to listen to pendulum music as you view the sight. This promotes the bands
music and also makes the viewing time spent more enjoyable. The website has to be a source when the fans can get acess all areas of
Pendulum and the brand. Different parts of the website include updates, pictures/videos, band background information, and tour dates. Its
important to include all of this so there is a constant buzz created, seeing updates and new pictures/videos being published on the sight will
excite fans. The site not only needs to appeal to current fans but also people who don’t know that much about the band, having back ground
information will help them understand more. Another important aspect of the site is that it offers a service called ‘The other side’ in which fans
can create a memebership where they receive exclusive information about the band. This ensures that the fans feel close to the band as it adds
a personal element.