A2 Media with Goodwin's Theory

1. Music Video Analysis
The Vaccines - Post
Break-up Sex

2. The Vaccines:
Post Break-up Sex
Music video analysis using Goodwin’s theory

3. Demonstration of genre characteristics
The music video, directed by Stephen Agnew
shows typical genre conventions of Indie
Pop/Rock. Agnew has directed other music
videos in this genre, so it is expected that his
work would conform to Indie Pop/Rock
conventions.
One of the conventions of Indie Pop/Rock is low
budget music videos, set in studios, cities, houses
or parks. Post Break-up Sex is filmed in a house,
and the setting feels familiar, so the audience can
relate to it more. This is important as Indie music
is about a passion for music and not success for
the artist, so having something the audience can
relate to is important.
The music video also shows live performance
from The Vaccines, to showcase talent and their
passion for music, unlike other bands of different
genres, where live performances are used to
showcase their success.
Indie Pop/Rock music videos have a message or
running narrative, and simple mise-en-scene ties
in with this, along with frequent use of extreme
close ups to create a tense atmosphere.
Mise-en-scene is a very important factor in the indie
rock genre as it helps to portray the narrative much
better. Indie artists often have a retro look which can
be created through their costumes and The Vaccines
replicate this. There are additional actors in the music
video who act as the ‘main characters’, and we know
who these are because they are seen frequently.

4. Relationship between video and lyrics
In the video we see close up shots of the
band performing in a house, and the video
alternates between shots of the performance
and clips of a woman. We soon learn the
woman is playing the ‘main character’ or
subject of the song as her role is directly
mentioned in the song's lyrics, who is
regretting the ‘post break-up sex’ she has had
during the narrative of the video.
In the final minutes of the music video, there
is a montage of upset adults (both men and
women), symbolising people who are upset
from either having or being emotionally hurt
by ‘post break-up sex’
Through this, the director is amplifying the
lyrics by explicitly referencing them in the
video - for example the lyric “leave it ‘till the
guilt consumes” and the image of a woman
crying after having post break-up sex, as she
(as the lyrics are saying) has ruined any
chance of rebuilding her relationship and it is
now officially over.
Long, lingering medium closeup shots of the actors
adds to the atmosphere in the video, as it shows raw
emotion and how the guilt is hanging around.
The music video is also illustrative of the lyrics, and it
puts the viewer in the position for emotional
response, as we are seeing the lyrics being
physically illustrated. There are thought beats during
the montage which also adds to the effect, as we see
the sound as we hear it.

5. Relationship between video and music
In the video we see the band performing the song within the diegesis of the song - they are in
sync and miming.
The band appears emotionless as they play, showing that they are detached from what is
happening in the narrative, possibly because they have been through it so many times the guilt
they talk about doesn't affect them anymore. The reference to emotion is also in the lyrics
“When you love somebody but you find someone/And it all unravels and it comes undone”
The colour in the music video is dingy and bleached, which mirrors the tone of the song.

6. Close-ups and motifs
The close-ups are always of faces rather than objects or other body parts, showing that emotion is a big part of
the music video. This is a big part of the Indie genre, as it is more about the music and the message it relays
rather than selling albums.
In the final minutes of the music video, there is a montage of upset adults (both men and women), symbolising
people who are upset from either having or being emotionally hurt by ‘post break-up sex’
Through this, the director is amplifying the lyrics by explicitly referencing them in the video - for example the
lyric “leave it ‘till the guilt consumes” and the image of a woman crying after having post break-up sex, as she
(as the lyrics are saying) has ruined any chance of rebuilding her relationship and it is now officially over.

7. Frequent reference to the notion of looking
The video frequently references the notion of looking, especially looking at something you shouldn’t. For
example, throughout the narrative we see the personal moments of the main characters life pan out - her
leaving a relationship, implied sex and her crying once it is over.
The montage of people crying is also a reference to the notion of looking, as crying is an intimate action and
viewers are intruding on this for over a minute of the music video.
The notion of looking is in the lyrics of the song too “I can barely look at you”
The band always looks directly into the camera, and it is clear they are outside of the narrative and diegesis
with the exception of the lead singer, who acts as narrator sitting in-between the diegesis and looks away
from the camera as if he was an actor in the music video.

8. Intertextual References
The music video defies Goodwin’s theory, as it doesn't contain any intertextual references.
This isolates the viewer and puts them only in the world of the song, so the main focus is what
happens during the narrative

9. Performance, Narrative or Concept Based
The video is narrative based and follows a linear narrative of a woman
breaking up with her boyfriend and the aftermath of the events. The
narrative is linear. The music video is also partly performance based,
as we see The Vaccines performing during the event taking place.