The music video to the song 'Robbers' by The 1975 is very intruiging and beautifully literate; the narrative in particular is captivating, in my opinion, and very true to the lyrics and original views of the band. The video encompasses both a narrative and performance elements. The narrative follows a robber and his girlfriend and their life leading up to a major robbery.
Representation, Stereotype and Gender
The music video seeks to capture the lives of these two young adults who are clearly living outside of the law in a deserted town. Key themes such as intense drug culture, sex, alcoholism and criminal activity are captured. There is also the assumption that these runaways have no employment, and a stereotype is conformed that all criminals are involved in more than one illegal act (e.g. theft and drugs).
Their lifestyle is also included in minor elements such as the lighting, which is mostly natural, but when inside their house is dark red, which is associated with blood, murder, danger, love and lust, which is a large summary of their emotions and life.
Although, despite the obvious conformations of many of society's stereotyped views towards criminals, I feel that their relationship together whole heartedly challenges our stereotypes. Throughout the video there is the picture painted that they truly love each other and have fun together in spite of their intentions to rob money and kill people. This is seen by them dancing and singing together, going to the cinema, skating, and the way in which the female protagonist reacts to her boyfriend being shot in the final scenes.
Editing
One of the most captivating elements of this movie is the fact that the editing is purposely not in a chronological sequence of events. It includes repeated images to create motifs and symbolism. For example, the bloodied hand on the wall makes the viewer first assume that it's the blood of a victim but it's revealed at the end that it's from the protagonist when he is shot. The napkin also is repeated and then is revealed at the end to present a love note from his girlfriend which she wrote in the bathroom whilst taking drugs.
Another interesting feature of the music video is that it does in fact cut the music out for approximately twenty seconds in the middle of the video to add silence and dialogue for suspense and effect as the two protagonist characters rob the petrol station, an event that has been long awaited throughout the entire duration of the video. The music cuts to allow the protagonist to shout 'Everyone get down!', presumably threatening them with his gun, and then is followed by multiple gun shots. The silence that follows is short but effective as the audience is left in suspense as two who has been shot.
The lyrics that follow 'now everybody's dead' also imply the fact that not only the protagonist was shot, but also other innocent people in the petrol station who got in their way.
The camera shots in this music video are stunning and capture perfectly the mood and themes intended by the director and band (who were heavily involved in the video's performance and planning). My particular favourite shot is that of a two shot as both protagonists walk up to the petrol station which they intend to rob. This shot is the longest take in the whole video, emphasising it's importance as the climatic point of the narrative which everything has been leading up to. The two shot also focuses on their unity as a couple, as the female protagonist kisses him over his balaclava and they approach the crime scene hand in hand.
In contrast, the camera shots throughout the video are often in quick takes and transitions, which imitates the pace and anticipation for the robbery, as well as mimicking the passion and lust of the couple. In addition to this, I noticed the use of a handheld camera motion as the protagonists exit the crime scene, and Matty has been shot. This creates a sense of realism for the audience, as if they are involved in the moment, and that they have experienced the casualty with the characters.
Mise En Scene
The mise en scene in this
video is key to the authentic atmosphere and emotives. One major part of the
music video’s mise en scene is the fact that the lead singer plays the role of
the protagonist in the performance as the robber, and the whole band is
involved (they are seen in the van as they oversee the robbery). The video also
involves a performance element within the walls of the house, when the
protagonist is seen to be singing into a microphone, almost serenading his
girlfriend, whilst lip syncing to the song, which provides an interesting
contrast in location and meaning of the song to them.
There are also a series of
motifs and symbols featured in the video, for example, the bloodied hand on the
wall. The audience assume at first (as the image is repeated throughout) that
this blood is from a victim of their crimes, when it in fact is concluded that
it is the blood of the protagonist. The napkin is also another repeated motif,
and it is only revealed at the end of the video that it is a love note from the
female which reads ‘you look so cool’ (a line from the song).
The setting/ location is
also a key part of the mise en scene as they are seen to have been living in a
desolate and rural area, with little money or possessions, presumably because
of their unemployment and heavy drug use. This location confirms the assumed
stereotype of their dangerous characters, as it appears to mirror the same.
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