Textual Analysis 1

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 30 Seconds To Mars - Up In The Air

The genre represented in this music video is a mixture of rock and other genres. This is shown by the drum beat and guitar motif which is repeated throughout the song. However, there is also a constant pulsing beat in some parts of the track which could show that this track can be part of the dance genre. The use of costume in the mise-en-scene shows that they are a rock band as each member of the band have dark hair and are wearing dark items of clothing in the performance shots alone. This is what the audience would typically see when a rock band is performing.

The setting for a shot which is used at the beginning of the song is an abandoned warehouse which is filled with blue lighting, this links to the song title, 'Up in the air'. Tension is built up during the introduction of the video as the sound of the gradually quickening violins, along with the wide shots of the band members approaching their instruments builds drama and increases the anticipation for the band to start their performance. Each of the 3 shots are quite dark, with the shot of the lead singer there is a flashing bright light which has connotations of the sound of an alarm. The quick editing in the beginning shows the empty space within the initial location and makes the audience want to know what the video is going to be about. In the beginning, a tracking shot of a dog which looks of a similar breed to a wolf shows an abstract element within the narrative as it doesn't seem to have any link to the song at first. The use of props such as the pink bull, the hula hoop, the lion and the acrobats shows the circus theme, as well as the use of colour. For example, the colourful spotted background used on a mid shot of a female dancer. This array of colours used within the song could symbolise the different emotions that the track could trigger for the audience and what they can relate to.

When the music finally drops and the song starts the editing cuts from shot to shot of different parts of the music within milliseconds to create a memorable and interesting motif which triggers the start of the video. This is an example of an abstract video as the different props could symbolise almost anything. The use of text overlay for 3 different shots showing the words 'Love', 'Lust', 'Faith' and 'Dreams' show some of the themes which are portrayed within the music video. The knife behind the word 'Lust' could have negative connotations as it shows that people sometimes go to far as they are filled with lust and could end up stabbing someone close to them in the back. Furthermore, the burning star behind the word 'Faith' could symbolise the power behind a person's religions belief.

This video shows the typical conventions of a rock music video as it shows the band performing with their instruments. However, when they are playing their instruments they are usually shot on their own without the other members of the band. The appearance of the American burlesque dancer 'Dita Von teese' shows the elements of Laura Mulvey's theory of 'The Male Gaze' as the camera emphasises her body with high angle shots of her being spun around on the pink bull wearing minimal clothing. This shows the fact she is self aware of the male eye watching her. A mid shot of her shows her next to the bull but she doesn't take up much of the shot the bull does, which reinforces Laura Mulvey's theory as this could have connotations of her being similar to an object since she is small in relation to the bull.  I could also link this with John Berger's 'Ways of Seeing' theory as he states that a female unconsciously acts in a way knowing she is being viewed. This is exactly what Dita Von Teese is doing in this video since she is dancing provocatively. The other female dancers in this video are also wearing minimal clothing and are acting for the male audience and the lead singer Jared Leto within the video. A close up shot of a blonde female dancer licking an ice cream, shows that she is trying to be sexual and provocative to the male eye who is watching. She is looking directly at the camera, and this element of performance increases interest from the audience, especially the male demographic.

During the climax of the video where too opposing sides, Levi Strauss' theory of Binary opposites, clash in a battle of colour this shows the resolution to the song. As the lyrics 'take no more' together with this clash of colour could symbolise a person standing up for themselves. The lyrics 'A thousand times I've tempted fate, a thousand times I've played this game' during the chorus of the song symbolises the anger from the singer and this climax shows singer resolving these feelings.