The video for Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" portrays a broken relationship through its characters and narrative. The characters' alternative styles and the geometric shapes painted on the male character establish the indie/alternative rock genre. As the video progresses, the characters are shown arguing, revealing their relationship has ended. Iconic images from the 1960s and 1980s, like the female's hairstyle and the painted shapes, blend modern and retro elements. The single setting and characters' vulnerability, portrayed through close-ups and their nakedness against a plain background, convey the emptiness of the broken relationship.

1. Gotye- Somebody That I Used to Know, music video analysis
In thisessayI will be describinghowLacey’srepertoire of elements,character,narrative,
iconography,settingandtechnical codes,are portrayedthroughoutGotye’s ‘SomebodyThatIUsed
to Know’videoandwhatmoodstheycreate.
The characters in the videoportraythe rock musicgenre throughtheirstraightfacial expressions
and alternative hairstyles.Thistellsthe audience simplybyseeingthemthatthe score to the video
will be rockmusicor some variationof this.The genre isexploredfurtherwhenthe firstcharacter,a
man,is slowlycoveredinpaintedgeometricshapes.The conceptual styleisstereotypicalof indie or
alternative rock musicwhichisthenreinforced whenthe musicitself beginsinthisstyle. The female
character’shairstyle issimilartothose thatwere popularinthe 1960’s. The ‘bobbed’style haircut
createsbricolage betweenthe contemporarymusicgenre andfashionfromthe 60’s.
The narrative eventsthroughoutthe videocreate anarrative enigmabecausewe are neveractually
toldwhat hashappenedbetweenthe twocharacters. The videobeginswithoutanyreal narrative.It
isjust a performance bythe male singerslowlycreatingaconceptual narrative ashe iscoveredby
the painted shapes.The audience still isn’tgivenanymore cluesastowhat has happeneduntilthe
introductionof the female character.Asshe enters, the twocharacters are seento be arguingas the
female characterisalmostshoutingthe lyricsatthe male character. Thissuggeststothe audience
that the story isof a broken or breakingrelationship. The lyricsalsoconfirmthis,‘’somebodythatI
usedto know’’.
Althoughthe videoconsistsof onlyone settingwithamostlystill camera,iconicimagescanbe
foundwithinit.The firstisof contemporaryart. The geometricshapesthatthe charactersare
paintedwithwere inspiredbyGotye’sfather; Frank de Backer’s painting from the 1980’s which
also featured as the album cover. The use of geometric shapes is iconic of the 1980’s creating
bricolage between 21st century music and artwork from the 80’s. Another iconic feature of the

2. mise en scene is the 1960’s ‘bobbed’ haircut that the female character wears. The short style of
hair is iconic to celebrities like Twiggy who made it popular in the 60’s. The use of this hairstyle
on the female character, again, creates bricolage between now and the 1960’s.
The only setting for the video is a wall. The video begins and the wall is blank but as the song
progresses the wall is covered in painted shapes, just as the characters are, almost merging the
two, characters and setting, into one. This suggests that the characters are vulnerable and are
therefore covering themselves and shrinking into the background until only their hair stands out.
The space is also empty insinuating that the relationship between the male and female
characters is also empty or broken. The fact that the characters are naked against a plain
background also presents emptiness but, at the same time, portrays them as being vulnerable as
they are naked. The colours utilised are neutral and dull, adding to the sense that the relationship
between the characters is empty and their feelings for one another are neutral.
The use of the camera creates a sense of vulnerability throughout the video. Close-up shots are
mainly used to capture different parts of the male character’s body as he is painted. This depicts
him as being vulnerable because the camera is close to his naked body. A tilt shot is used at the
beginning of the video, moving from his feet up to his face. The tilt shot also creates a sense of
vulnerability because it is as if the audience is looking him up and down. The non-diegetic music
used for the introduction of the song is similar to a nursery rhyme, revealing either the male
character or the confrontation between the two characters as childish. Additionally, the high-key
lighting utilised throughout the video generates a happy mood, adding to the idea that the
argument or characters are childish.