Music video analysisNeck Deep – Gold Steps

“Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. Stage performance in metal videos, dance routines for boy/girl bands)”

In the intro to Gold Steps it shows multiple long shots and medium long shots of teenagers looking bored and doing nothing. This immediately indicates that this song and video is being aimed towards teenagers. It is aimed at teenagers because people expect teenagers to be having fun and this will relate to them. In the next shot it shows close ups of the vocalist spray painting the bands name on the ramp and then shows a close up of the bands name on the half pipe ramp. This also relates to a younger teenage audience as this is the expected age group to be doing things like graffiti and using spray paint in general. When the music starts close ups are used to show the band playing their different instruments and as the music is quite fast paced the shots change quite quickly. The change in the speed of the cuts represent being bored and then suddenly having fun. Tracking shots and pans are used to show the teenagers running after the truck to show they love the music and are excited about it. It then cuts to a slow zoom out to show this long shot of people running from different directions after the truck. Some of these shots are shown in slow motion so you can see the happiness on their faces and it is also used to show people doing tricks on their skateboards, again giving a younger feel. Medium close ups are also used to show the vocalist, Ben Barlow, singing. The shots of the band and what they are wearing also show that the band is aimed at a young audience as they were similar clothes to other young people who share an interest in the pop punk genre of music. In the third verse the time of day has gone and it is night. This high angle long shot shows the band doing a live show for the fans and people crowd surfing, this shows a lot about the genre of their music as at pop punk shows people will go crazy and crowd surf and get on stage. It shows they are all the same and the band isn’t any more special than the fans.

In a lot of Pop Punk videos the video is all about having fun, this music video is about living life to the full without letting things get in the way.

“There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)”

“Sometimes things will bend you,But trust me you'll be fine,I've been moving mountains that I once had to climb.And life's not out to get you,Despite the things you've been through,Because what you give is what you get,And it doesn't make sense to make do.”

“So pick yourself up,You can't change what's been,You must go on and learn while you live.And when you see the signs saying hope is up ahead,Then you're right on track for a better end.”

I think the lyrics for this song go with the video quite well as it is all about living life to the full, this is shown when it says “learn while you live”, this is also shown in the video because throughout the full video it shows young people having fun in many different ways.

The lyrics also go with the visuals when Ben sings the chorus slowly towards the end. “I've been moving mountains that I once had to climb” indicates that he has had his fair share of bad experiences and it uses a close up of him to show this.

“There is a relationship between the music and the visuals (Either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)”

In ‘Gold Steps’ there is a relationship between the music and the visuals as the band are doing a live performance throughout the music video, they perform in the day on the truck and Ben performs by himself also and then they perform at night on the same truck without the ramp.

Most of the song is fast paced and so they have cut the video to suit the fast paced music. At the beginning and part of the end it has slower shots and cuts as the music has not started or it is quiet. When the music starts close ups are used to show the band playing their different instruments and as the music is quite fast paced so the shots change quite quickly. The change in the speed of the cuts represent being bored and then suddenly having fun. As the song slows down, due to no instruments being used, it shows a medium close up of Ben singing without a microphone and looking directly into the camera. At this point the pace of edit is much slower to fit with the pace of the music. The music video starts with a fade in transition as there is no music yet so its quite slow. When the drums are used on the build up to the chorus it has really fast cuts of different skateboarders at the same point on the ramp, the cuts fit with the type of instrument being played.

“The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist/band and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (e.g. A visual

style)”The main close ups you will see in this video will be of the instruments and the fans of ‘Neck Deep’. However there are still quite a few close ups used of the band members and vocalist Ben. For example when the song gets slower it uses a medium close up on Ben as these type of shots are usually used in slow paced kind of songs.

In music videos you would expect close ups to be used of the front man more as he is creating the star image and people will recognize the band from seeing him. However I’d say the close ups and medium close ups are quite spread out across the band showing the instruments more than the members though. I think this supports Goodwins theory of the demands of a record label as Ben is shown more than other band members making him the face of the band.

“Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative based or concept based and how elements of each is used in it”

‘Gold Steps’ is pretty much all performance based, they perform throughout the full music video but in different locations. The main shots of them performing are on the back of a truck and a ramp on top of the same truck, we also see Ben doing a solo bit on the wall whilst everyone is having fun. I also think this video is quite concept based with the lyrics and the video, it is telling listeners/viewers to live their lives and have fun while they do it.