The music video uses various cinematography techniques to tell a story. It begins and ends with a high-angle shot of the main character lying in his bed, showing he is stuck reliving the past. Flashbacks depicted through close-ups show him remembering his late mother. The dull lighting in the house contrasts with the glowing forest, indicating his trip through lucid dreaming. By getting high, the main character is able to see his mother one last time in the place of their happiest memories. The video aims to amplify the song's meaning and advertise the band to its target alternative rock audience.

1. Music video Analysis
Nothing but Thieves – If I get High
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWpEZguQE8E

2. Genre
 The genre for the video is a narrative format video, as the lyrics directly link to
the interpretation of the story being told in the video, which concludes or
makes more sense at the end of the video as we come to a conclusion.
 When looking at Goodwin's theory the video would fit into the form of an
illustration music video. This is because it follows the standard format of a
music video, being that the lyrics visually compliments the story its telling.
With some music videos, they do tend to crossover their category's regarding
Goodwin’s theory. In this case the narrative of the video links into the category
of amplifying as the song could first be viewed as a ‘lost-love’ song, but is
amplified as its about the loss of losing the love of a mother. More over the
genre of the song is alternative rock.

3. Cinematography
• The numbers correspond to the next slid to give context to what I am talking about.
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10 11

4. Cinematography
 At the start of the music video, the camera is framed so there is a lot of dead space in the room,
while also keeping the boy lying on the bed in a sweet spot, regarding the rule of three, so our eyes
are first made aware of this character (1). The camera is at a high angle so its as if we are looking
down on the character in the video, almost as if we are imposing on him. This establishing wide shot
is to set up the video and also connote that the character wont be active in the video. Additionally,
this shot is also used at the end of the video too, as this portrays to the audience, after finding out the
theme of the video, that he started and ending in the same place to show how he cant move along
with his life with out his mom.
 The video also uses a lot of close up shots to focus on the characters emotions, or lack of, as well as
to give context to other shots, such as at the start where there is a close up of the boy’s head while
he is asleep (2), which gives context to the shots that follow which seem to be memory's or
flashbacks (3), showing the audience that he is trying to remember his mother in his head, which also
sets up the video for what is to come.
 Another feature of the music video is that the camera uses wide shots to set up the framing for
certain shots. The two main ones I though had a lot of meaning behind them was two shots that are
both centered around a table (4,5). In the first shot the camera fuscous on how the two male
characters are eating at a dining table, with an empty space in the middle. If you apply the rule of
three, you can see that the two characters are in line with this rule, where as the empty space in the
middle acts as a sweet spot as a way to imply that there should be someone in the empty
space/chair. This is similar to the next shot where the teenager is sitting at a table. The symbolism of
the table, again implies that there should be someone in its place, whereas if you apply the rule of
three again, you can see that not only does the space in the chair line up, but also indicates to the
audience that the space in the hallway is to imply that the boy is waiting for his mom to walk back in.

5. Cinematography
 Additionally there is also the implied symbolism of the windows, as the camera uses a mid-shot to frame
the windows in the boys bedroom and kitchen (6,7), all which look out to his dad. The negotiated reading
of this I think could be that the camera is used to focus on this aspect of the boys life to show what he is
left with. Plus I think that the symbolism of the widow is to make the audience think that he wants to get
out of his ‘world’, in this case his house, but his dad is stopping him, as he is the focus in the foreground
of the camera shots, as if he is in the way (8) – a shot of what's happening behind the window.
 One of the only shots that isn’t noticeably static is the whip-pan, handheld shot of when the dad walks into
the boys room holding the last parts of the drugs he smoked earlier in the video (9). This part is fast
paced as the characters show anger and shock in the scene, causing fast motions that need to be filmed
quickly. Additionally the fact that this is the only part that is handheld also implies to the audience that in
the rest of the video the characters don’t show this much emotion towards each other, indicating that they
don’t have a good bond with each other, causing the rest of the video to be static.
 Moreover, another shot used in the last minuet of the video is a mid-shot of the boy after traveling to a
new location after ‘getting high’ (10). The mid shot is effective as the camera is static and focused in the
character in the center of the screen, as the character himself is moving around to try and piece together
where he is. I think this shot is effective as not only can we see his emotions and expressions clearly, but
we are also able to the location to further indicate that the boy has been startled by something that isn’t
just suddenly being in a forest.
 Lastly, the final shot I have looked at is the close up of his mother (11). Unlike the rest of the video, which
strays from using close ups in favor for wide shots or scenes where the actors face is obscured, this is
one of the only shots that shows the audience a clear picture of a character in the video. This shot is also
static, the same lack of movement shown by the boys mother who is just smiling widely, which also shows
us how much happiness she brings to her sons life compared to his father. With this in mind I think that
the close up was used as a way to show one of the only moments of pure elation in the video from a
character, as well as to emphasis how close the boy is to her, amplified here as he has in theory
imagining her.

6. Mise-en-scene – setting
 For the setting there are two main locations in the video, the family home (including the
outside of the house) and the forest, where the main character ends up in at the end of the
video.
 Throughout, there are snippets of the sons mother when he was little, filmed on a
camcorder in the same wooded area, which is the location he sees himself in at the end of
the video. This location causes the audience to realise that maybe this is the boys only
lasting memory or just his fondest memory of his mother, which is why when he sees her
again in the woods, and not at home, also causing their moment together to be more
poignant.
 One feature of the house that is very notable, is the fact that it feels empty. With the use of
wide shots, seen a lot when ever the boy is on his own and vise versa for the father, there is
always a sense of distance, emphasized more when they are together as they seem to want
to be as far apart as possible. Distance, in summary, is always more prominent in the
house, rather than in the woods, as even though both locations are practically isolated, the
characters are not only happy to see each other in the wooded area but there is also an
almost involuntary want for closeness, as the characters can no longer see each other.

7. Mise-en-scene – lighting
 The lighting in this video is very dull and void of any bright colors, apart from natural
lighting that makes the scenes outside the house brighter, but still as if it has been
muted. The lighting is dull emphasizing the shadows in the rooms of the house and
give a lifeless feel to this location.
 In contrast to the dull and eerie atmosphere in the house the lighting in the forest is
still not bright but is almost glowing. This glow, which creates a blurry and soft contrast
to the figures in the shots gives off a subtle artificial feel to the scenes in this location
compared to the hard and sharpened feel to the house. This difference in lighting
shows the audience which location is a reality compared to something in the
characters head, and also emphasizes the fact that it is an illustrative video as he ‘got
high’ to ‘see you (his mom) again’. This also explains the video more as the glowing in
the forest connotes to us that the female is in heaven.

8. Mise-en-scene – props
 When looking at the props that have been used we are able to understand the
characters and their story in slightly more detail. One example of this is how the
teenagers desk is set out with books, a globe, a lamp, and other random objects. The
way the picture of the mother is centered and is the key focus on this boys desk
compared the other items tells us he is emotionally attached to the photo which further
indicates and backs ups the idea that the mother has died and he is trying to
remember her.
 Other props that have been used is a book titled ‘lucid dreaming’ which shows the
audience how the story is going to progress and how the teenager will visit his mother
when she is no longer living. Additionally there is a scene where the father finds that
his son has literally gotten high and throws the remains at him. This small prop shows
us, as well as researching by using the lucid dreaming book, how this character is
trying all possible options to see his mother again, which adds to the progression of
the story

9. Mise-en-scene – Presenters and
costume
 For the presenters, the main character (being the young boy}, is a famous actor by the name of RJ Mitte, who gained popularity
after playing Walter white Jr in the award winning TV series Breaking Bad (2008-2013). This character adds to the overall way
the boy is treated in the video as the actor has cerebral palsy. If you didn’t know about the actors condition, the video is still
effective, with using him to gain viewers and keep the audience watching with the use of star persona. Moreover, I think that for
a lot of people the added layer of his disability emphasizes his isolation he endures from his father, which exaggerates scenes
where he is alone, while also causing the scene with his mother at the end to be more heartbreaking. The other actors are
unnamed as I wasn’t able to find them listed anywhere.
 The costumes in the video are a small feature that helps the audience understand the story and narrative of the video better.
The young boy in the video is wearing dull and dark clothes, which emphasis’s how lonely and isolated this character seems as
color would suggest an uplifting mood. The father figure in the video wears the same clothes in every shot, give or take a shirt
on top of his white, dirty vest which suggests to the audience that he doesn’t feel a need to be ‘presentable’ and that because
they are dirty that he doesn't care about his appearance, another small detail that suggests that his wife has died and doesn’t
feel the need to make an effort.
 For the mothers character she is wearing a casual green parka with a blue shirt. The costume itself isn't particularly important,
but the one feature of it being present is to show that she is in her sons head as she is wearing the same clothes as in a home
video also featured in the music video, which the son had previously been watching. This ties up the video as the audience is
able to understand why certain aspects of the video as a whole where importantly featured, e.g. the scenes with the camcorder.

10. Mise-en-scene – character movements
 The two male characters in the video are always at a distance from each other, which can be seen by the wide shot of them
right at the start of the video where they start by sitting at opposite ends of the table. As well as this being one of the first shots
we see of these two characters together, the way they have been positioned to sit with dead space in the middle of the screen
seems to suggest that there should be some one there (the mother we see later on), which makes the distance between the two
characters more important as it suggests this loss has caused them to separate from each other rather than come together.
 Another movement, or lack of, is where the teenager is lying on his bed at the start of the video. This is a notable aspect of this
character as at the end he is also in the same position when the video draws to an end. This parallel between the two shots
suggests that he is always thinking about his mother as after the first shot we see how he researches ways to ‘see her again’ to
which he does but afterwards ends in the same position, making the audience feel empathetic as he is always imagining his
mom in his head.
 Lastly another contrasting movement with the characters is the way the teenager acts towards each parent. We know how the
father and son have a distance between them, but an action that caught my attention was when his dad storms into his room he
jumps back trying to put as much distance between them as possible. This is contrasted when he finally sees his mother as he
is immediately hugging her. I think this is significant as it shows the audience how the teenager changes his poise towards each
parent and also shows how the loss of his mother causes him to want to see her more than his father, a figure that is actually
present.

11. Sound, Editing and Visual or Special
Effects
 For sound, one of the less noticeable non diegetic sounds, and the only thing from this
character in the video, is the dad shouting ‘dinner’, not before banging on the door of
his son. The significance of the lack of dialogue between the two characters gives the
audience the impression that this farther and son duo aren’t close, emphasised by the
lack of interaction between them visually. Additionally we can hear sirens that
correspond to the flash backs of police lights, which are used as a way to imply to the
audience a possible way the mother in the video died or the after math of it.
 The major non-diegetic sound is the soundtrack to the video, which other than the other
two sounds in the video is the only other sound heard in the video.
 When looking at editing pace, the shots cut between each other are slowly moving to
different locations in a lot of them, to show the different actions of each character. This
pace slowly picks up with the pace of the music, but also as the video its self visually
shows more action happening. The video doesn't use any transitions to go between
shots other than cutting between each shot, as well as a shot that links to special
effects. The special effect is created by a green screen to transition from one location to
another in the boys head as we see what he is imagining. This shows him floating up in
the air from his bedroom to the woods where he sees his mother.

12. Meaning
 A lot of the videos that are used in the alternative-rock genre tend to focus on themes
of pain, trauma, love (loss), and rebellion. Additionally another convention of this
genre is that there is always a tipping point or silver lining at the end of each video as
the characters/story starts to end, and some sort of catalyst provokes or causes the
story in the video to come to a concluding end, even if its not a happy one.
 These themes fit well with this video, as the story depicts a seemingly broken family of
three, caused by the death of the mother in the video. The two male characters are
undoubtedly going through a lot of pain and trauma, but one of the other factors of
their loss is that the teenager is going through a ‘rebellious’ stage by ‘getting high’
which by the way his dad reacted was’nt a good idea. This act is the catalyst of the
video through, as we see that the video comes to a concluding end that he can see
his mother in his head when he’s ‘high’.
 In alternative-rock videos one of the main feature of iconography is the band and the
instruments they use, with shots lingering on both of these feature of the videos.
Additionally, this is usually because the videos are usually a performance piece so
there is an element of star appeal from the band. For this video though they have
combined the performance and the story into one, with the iconography matching
these stereotypes but also matching the stereotypes of the video, as a way to amplify
the story. Examples of this would be drugs he is smoking or the lucid dreaming book.

13. Purpose
 The purpose of the music video, like most, is to sell the song and the band
alike. It sells the band with a though out music video which causes the
audience to understand that they aren't just making a video for the sake of
it, and are creating an entertaining way of experiencing it, both visually
and audibly, while also being able to amplify its meaning for a better
understanding for the audience. The product was also made to advertise
the band and the video o TV, and so they are able to add context to music.
 The video appeals to the target audience as one of the big trends for
young people between the ages of 15 and 25, this being the primary target
audience, and even for 30 to 40 year olds, this being the secondary target
audience, is the global TV series, Breaking bad. The main character in the
video is the same boy who plays Walter Jr. in the show so the video isn't
just attracting people because of star appeal of the band or the music, but
also because of the star appeal around the character featured in the video
its self.

14. Target Audience
 For the Primary target audience, I think that the most relevant group this is marketed at
is 15-24 year old females in socio economic grouping E. This is because I think that as
the band are also around this age bracket that they're more likely to attract the same
type of audience, as the age groups will more than often like similar styles (in this case)
of music. Moreover I think that the age range and gender would be 15-24 year old
females, as the song is more high pitched and calming, which I think when applying
stereotypes of men and women, women are more likely to listen to this song than men,
as women are perceived to like more relaxing music. In the case of the age I think that
the age is accurate as older listeners would stereotypically listen to more mature or
classic music, rather than music made by someone younger than them.
 For the Secondary target audience I think that the audience would also be predominately
female because of the tone of the music much like the primary target audience, but
would be around the age of 24-35 in the socioeconomic group C2. I think this as more
people with a steady income will be able to afford music channels where the video would
be played, which also sells the band as the video tells a story that accompanying the
music making it easier to watch for the viewer.
 Additionally, Applying Rubicam’s 4 Cs, I think that the most appropriate category to put
the primary target audience into would be the explorer. This is because the band
themselves are more alternative than others, which draws in the people who want to
listen to new and different music to discover. For the secondary target audience I feel
that the category would come under the aspirer, as watching the video on the TV could
be to show that this group have items, such as a TV, for the visual look of having more
than others.

15. Target Audience – slide 2
 Lastly, if you applied the audience theory of Maslow's Hierarchy of Human
Needs, created in 1954, to the song, I think the primary audience would
come under the category physiological needs. Firstly I think that it is
important to understand that the characters in this video are felling pain
from the loss of a closely loved member of their family, which would mean
they need relief from pain, as stated in the physiological needs category for
this theory. I think this is more appropriate to this target audience as they
would also come under the bracket of needing the basic necessity's to live,
physiological needs, which would make it easier for the audience to
understand the video and appreciate it.
 Additionally, for the secondary target audience, love and belonging would
be the over baring category, as this includes wanting to be part of a group
or having family, something the boy in the video seems to crave as not only
is he lonely but he is also alone, after his mother has died, which is why he
wasn’t to see her again. I think that this will appeal to the secondary
audience as the ages from 24-35 there are more people thinking about
starting families, which will connect them more to the story displayed in the
video.