Research Into Existing Music Video: Imagine Dragons , On Top Of The World

The second music video I chose to research into was Imagine Dragons On Top Of The World, just like the first video, I will be analysing the 3 different codes in this video. The use of camera, mise-en-scene and editing. While looking at this music video, I found a lot of different ways of how these codes have been used to portray the actors/actress'.

Use of Camera

At the start of the music video, a low shot is used to show the young boy on his little go-kart and he makes his way in front of all the other people which are watching the TV because it is the day of the moon landing which is being watched by everyone around the world. The next shot is a close up of one of the singers and is showing him getting ready to go out. There is a mid shot of the singer saying good bye to his family as he prepares to go out in which this is the same for 3 of the characters but for the final one, he is on his own on his motorbike which he then speeds by showing the audience that he is late.  The camera goes back to the people watching the TV waiting patiently for something to happen. The camera also shows each of the singers walking across a zebra crossing, this is a reference to the Beatles album cover which they did years a go. The camera is also showing 2 of the singers cars in the background as well. The camera then changes to a close up of a security alarm and then CCTV footage of all 4 of them entering a base of some sort. The camera then tracks down to show a person standing at the
fence looking excited as of what is going to happen next. The camera then reveals all 4 of the singers entering their space clothing and each of their family members waiting on the edge of their seats looking excited.The camera then shows someone exiting the spacecraft onto the moon with the words "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". The camera then tracks back to show the audience that there isnt a moon landing is is taking a punt by saying that it was all filmed in a studio and that it was fake. But on the TV screens, it all looks real and genuine. Then the use of camera also shows a crows of people entering the place where they were and it shows them joining in with them and them having a good time. Most of the shots in this video were still and there were very few that were moving. Also at the very end, it goes to the singers performing the song where at the start they were acting.

Mise-En-Scene

For mise-en-scene, I found quite a lot of factors. At first the representation of the young boy in his go-kart and he had a foil hat on while watching the TV, this could show the audience that he wants to become an astronaut because he seems very engrossed when watching the TV. It also represents a young child via the use of creativity. The TV that the people were watching looked extremely old as well so it shows the audience that this was filmed a long time a go. But the shots were filmed in colour whereas the TV didnt really have any colour to it. Next we look at the appearance of each of the characters, they all have very different styles and live in very different places. The first guy that comes on screen is seemed as being quite successful because of his suit jacket that he is wearing and the clothing of his family as well as the props in the background. The second character can be seen as a bit of a "hippy" simply because of his hairstyle, the glasses and the headband that he puts on. There is also a trailer which he possibly lives in and the people who he associates with are seen to look like him. His vehicle is also very old fashioned and not many people have those cars nowadays. The third character is similar to the first but he seems to be very posh and quite old fashioned simply because of his household and the way he and his family are dressed. His children look exactly like him because of the same old hairstyle and the car he drives is very old fashioned as well. The last character is seen to be very into his motor bikes because he is seen sitting on his bike putting his helmet on whilst wearing his leather jacket. They are then seen wearing their astronauts suits which they were able to get a hold off and this links to the song name by saying that they are "On top of the world" because astronauts go out in space and saying that they are literally on top of the world. The use of camera equipment is also showing the audience that they are filming the moon landing in a studio a long with all the props that are used such as the boom microphone, multiple cameras and the clapboard. The technology used by the families very much relate to their personality because of the "hippy" family, it seems that they are using a radio. The lighting used is very bright because the song is very upbeat so it suits the song perfectly.

Editing

The use of editing is important because the clips need to tell a story and if the editor just puts them in a random order, then it is not going to look good because it will just ruin the video. The use of editing shows that each of the characters gets equal amount of time on the screen because of the close ups of each character then it goes to them interacting with their family then setting off in their vehicle, this is the same order except for the last character who is just seen on his bike speeding off. A transition  is then used,  when the jeep goes by the camera, the shot follows it emerging into a new shot. An alarm gets some time on the screen so the audience know what it is and then there is CCTV footage of the 4 of them walking in. The use of editing is also hiding the characters outfit when they are getting changed but then the use of editing shows the 4 of them putting on their helmets at the same time. The shot of the little boy comes back and is looking excited then it goes back to 2 of the singers looking at each other confused. This could be linked to the boy looking at the singers. The use of editing also shows the 2 little boys from the "old fashioned person"  as being confused as of they have no idea what is going on. The studio of the moon landing gets a lot of time on screen so the audience can see that they are "taking a punt" at the real moon landing because of people saying it was fake. The cuts get much quicker because the tempo of the song increases whereas at the start, it wasnt as fast. The 4 singers at the end are getting a lot of time on screen as they are being congratulated by someone.

Overall this is a really good music videos because it is telling a story of how they are on top of the world which is the title of the song and is good how they have linked the video to the name of the song. The lyrics used are really good as well which relate to the song well.