Magic rude

media

1. Rude Magic! This song has been argued to be apart of many different genres – alternative, indie-pop and even reggae. However, for this PowerPoint I am going to look at it through the indie-rock lens.

2. Genre: Indie Rock Performance-based – the band ‘Magic!’ appear in multiple long shots in this music video with whilst playing their instruments. This makes the video more personal as it gives the audience a sense of connection with them, almost as if they were watching them perform live. [Little] Narrative – there are some aspects of narrative in between shots of the band performing, as the video follows the characters of a man and woman wanting to marry one another but experience struggles in-between. Male –dominated – The band only consists of male members and although a female character is in the video, she is outnumbered by the amount of men featured. Warm tones/colours [string lights in the background] – creates this idea of nostalgia which is a key theme for indie music videos. How does the music video demonstrate genre characteristics?

3. “Got in my car and raced like a jet” – Long shot of the character’s car shown with the characters getting in it. “ Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life ?” – Medium shot of the main character clearly asking for the father’s permission to marry his daughter. “ I'm gonna marry her anyway” –Medium/close-up shot of the female character in a wedding dress , emphasises the lyric and makes the audience aware as to what will happen next. Is there a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals?

4. Non-diegetic sound – There is a close-up shot of the male character (who plays the father in the narrative) singing along to the music even though it is clear that it is the artist singing but with the character miming to it . This helps make the video seem more real and reflects the narrative aspect of it. Diegetic sound of the musical instruments played by the band members – linking to the performance-based section of the video . Is there a relationship between the music and the visuals?

5. Close-ups are shown multiple times in the performance-based section of the music video which makes it more personal for the audience.. Stereotypically these close-ups are usually of the lead singer only, however close-ups are evident of the other band members which possibly could express the importance of each of them as together they create the band. Are there any close-ups of the artist/band?

6. Direct mode of address – the lead singer looks directly at the camera throughout almost all of the music video. This further creates a personal feel to the audience at which I have mentioned previously; as it makes them feel apart of the narrative. Apart from a medium shot of the female character’s stomach, I personally do not think there is much sexualisation and the theory of the ‘Male Gaze’ cannot really be applied. Is there a frequent reference to the notion of looking?

7. The music video & song was inspired by the band’s front-man Nasri who had an unpleasant experience with a drunk ex-girlfriend. She treated him badly and he wanted to know why she had been so rude - which resulted in him putting that question as the chorus of this song. He knew he wanted to create the song and music video with relation to relationships but instead of it being based around his ex-girlfriend, he preferred the idea of a father rejecting his daughter’s boyfriend’s permission for marriage. Are there any intertextual references?

8. Narrative-based – The music video follows the story of a male asking his girlfriend’s father for permission to marry his daughter. However, he gets abruptly rejected and throughout the video he is trying to find a way around it – resulting in marrying his girlfriend at the end. This is seen through the close-up of his distressed facial expression and further on, the two shot of the two characters getting engaged. Performance-based – The band are seen playing their instruments to the music. Is the video performance, concept or narrative based?

9. Proppian character’s – Hero: The lead singer, as he is seen rescuing the female from a situation she doesn’t want to be apart of and they end up happy by the end of the video. Villain : The female’s father, as he rejects the boy’s permission to marry his daughter. The Princess: The female character as her facial expression looks distressed and uncomfortable in the shot of the family dinner when she is expected to sit next to the man she does not love. Strauss’ binary opposites – The main male character who the femal e is in love with vs. the man her father expects her to marry [ft. in the shot of the dining room]. Does this music video apply to any narrative theories?

10. Todorov – Equilibrium = Medium shot of the couple happily together. Disruption = The father declines the boy’s permission to marry his daughter. Recognition/Attempt to repair = The boy returns to try to ask again but is further shot down. So he marries the daughter anyway by rescuing her from her home and proposes. New equilibrium = Arguable, in the end the couple marry however, it is still against her father’s wishes. Does this music video apply to any narrative theories?