Textual Analysis - Arctic Monkeys - Snap out of it

 The opening mid shot of the female starts with the viewer being unaware of what is going to come out of the water. The diegetic sound is muffled, it becomes apparent that the female was under the water and therefore it allows the audience to be aware from the outset that the music video is narrative based and will be following the point of view of the female protagonist. Water again has been used, possibly representing how she is being overcome by her thoughts and that she is trying to escape from them as it shows her coming up from beneath the water. Florence and the Machine also used water in a symbolic manner within her 'Never let me go' music video.
With the female being a young, youthful woman, this allows both genders to enjoy the music video due to factors such as the male gaze, a theory created by Laura Mulvey which presents the female as
an object for the males pleasure which creates them to focus on the music video and enjoy it more.

 The close up shot of the jewellery, cigarette and mug imply that the female is careless due to the props being left there. This shot signifies that she is demotivated and is having a hard time. With the items being left carelessly, they could be symbolising how someone she had loved had left her without caring about the mess it leaves behind. Without seeing the females facial expression, the use of props is significant due to it allowing the audience to realise that she is seen to be representing the damsel in distress. Therefore, this is linking to Propps 8 stock characters. Andrew Goodwins theory of symbolic techniques has also been used within this shot as the mise en scene creates the atmosphere to be static and dull.

It then becomes apparent that the female is longing for a male protagonist who is at first shown to be playing the guitar. This could possibly represent how the males point of view is shown and how he is unable to keep a steady relationship due to his rock and roll lifestyle and all the females he gets close to he leaves behind and makes them pick up the pieces. With the first shot being a mid shot of the television and the audience already aware that the point of view is from the females perspective this implies that the female is spending her days watching old videos of her ex. The diegetic sound of the video plays into the background of the song, which again creates a sense of verisimilitude, allowing the audience to relate to the female. Also, for an active audience, this footage is something they have never seen before which could therefore allow people to talk about the footage and create more people to view the music video which helps the band promote themselves. Theories such as the uses and gratification theory can be applied within this shot due to peoples need of Personal Relationships. People use the media to fulfil their need for companionship, and to form relationship with others. Due to the video showing the band spending time together, a member of the audience may enjoy the video more as they can feel a part of it.

The series of shots that jump between the female and the male on the television signify how the woman cannot think straight and her thoughts have been overpowered by the male. Editing within these shots also portrays the females thoughts due to the cutting of the shots switching to the female and the male go in time with the lyrics 'Snap out of it'. The significance of the lyrics saying that and the editing shows that the female is unable to snap out of her obsessive thinking and her facial expressions again show the struggle she is being faced with.
The diegetic sound of the female rewinding the footage is played over the song, this therefore shows that the female is unable to stop watching this video and she is mourning the end of her relationship. Female viewers who have felt a similar way would be able to relate to the female, creative a sense of verisimilitude. Therefore, this is linking to the uses and gratification theory. Personal Identity is a factor which audience members tend to sometimes use media to find out about themselves, people who see the female shown in the music video would then realise that the same or similar situation they had been through they handled in a similar way, making them feel a sense of belonging and comfort.
The females facial expressions and overall appearance suggests that she is the damsel in distress, bands such as The Neighbourhood also use a female protagonist to represent a similar character within their song 'Daddy Issues'. Within the indie rock music genre which this band falls under, a narrative based music video without any performance aspects is something which goes against the conventions expected within this category of music. When filming my potential product, I will consider whether or not I will twist the conventions or stick to what is expected, or possibly show both aspects.
Dyers star theory can be applied as this female is an actress named Stephanie Sigman. Fans of the shows she stars in such as 'Narcos' (2015) would watch the music video to see the actress play another role. This helps the band increase their views on the music video and create fans of her shows become aware of their music.

The shot then cuts to a close up of a frying pan which has a raw piece of meat cooking on it. The sound of sizzling plays over the music. This use of imagery could be representing how she has not got time for any other male.
Binary opposites has been used within this shot due to the background being white which represents purity, also the light shining from the top right corner again signifies this. The meat is a dark red which implies there is danger. The meat could be symbolising how dangerous the female has become and the sizzling sound continuing through to previous shots shows the build up of anger and upset she is facing.

 The lyrics which cover this shot are 'Forever isn't for everyone'. This therefore could be suggesting that the female wanted a long term future with the male shown in the video but the man has other plans. With the female being half dressed, again this shows her sluggish lifestyle since she no longer has reason to get dressed due to her complete and utter heartbreak. The camera shot showing her looking out into the distance could be representing how she is longing to find something she has lost and can no longer come to terms with losing.
This shot then switches from a mundane task of waiting for her food to cook to the television cutting off and the camera zooming into her face, similar to a shot seen in a horror film.This could be representing reality hitting her and how its frightening her not having him around even if its him being on the tv in every room she is in.

 Within this shot it emphasise how the heartbreak she is being faced with has changed her and she no longer wants to conform to societal expectations as she is eating with her hands. This animalistic approach to eating food can be seen to be how a male would eat. This therefore subverts the conventions of the female stereotype, showing that she is no longer acting how she would normally act due to the pain she is being faced with. Before this shot is shown it shows the female turning the meat over with her bare hands, which therefore indicates how she has no feelings left and that she's emotionless. With the only thing she is eating being a piece of meat, this emphasises that she is only eating to stay alive, she purely doesn't care about anything else.

 Within these shot it shows her deep infatuation and lust she has for her ex. The extreme close up of the side of her face and her facial expression shows she is longing for her relationship to be rekindled. The relevance of the television is to show that the only way she can get close to her old partner is through watching  old videos. With the television showing the man to have the facial expression of someone who looks as if they are enjoying themselves this is using binary opposites due to the females facial expression being the complete opposite. Within this shot the female is being represented as the damsel in distress.
The use of lighting within this shot is also relevant due to the light glaring through the side of the camera lens which creates the audience to feel as if there is hope for the female in her dark current state of mind.
These shots cut to different locations, it shows the woman dancing around and enjoying herself, then it shows her with a projection of her ex on her. This shows the clear delusion she is being faced with, one moment she is happy and dancing around and the other she is completely taken over by the thought of her ex. The use of projection is effective due to it covering the whole screen, showing that she cannot escape the overwhelming amount of pain she is faced with.

With the television playing a significant role within this music video, the relevance of the television cutting off shows that the music video is coming to an end. The black and white fussy elements of the television screen being damaged could represent how she has finally come to the maximum amount of suffering, her mind is all over the place and confusion has taken over. She is unable to think straight, the mourning of the relationship has completely drained her and the use of the projections is effective as it shows how she has no escape of her current situation. Within my own music video, the use of projections is something that I am going to consider adding as it shows within this music video that it can be extremely effective in portraying emotions. It is also something that is conventional within the Indie rock music genre as it is also seen in "The Cure - In Between Days" music video.

The closing shot is the same shot as the opening, this clearly shows the the audience that it is the end of the music video and the female is back to the original location she was first shown. The use of water could represent how she is again unable to escape from her thoughts and all that happened within the music video is what someone who is faced with heartbreak has too deal with on a daily basis. This relaxing closing shot juxtaposes with the previous shot of her in distress, again, this emphasises how her emotions are all over the place in the space of a day. The sound within this shot is muffled, its the females point of view of what she can hear, with the song no longer playing this could possibly mean that she has found peace of mind by blocking her hearing meaning she is unable to hear her own thoughts. The sound of the song within the music video could be represented as her thoughts ad how she cannot stop hearing the song in her head.