Textual Analysis 2

Deaf Havana - Little White Lies

The genre of this video is punk rock. This is shown by the male lead singer's tattoos especially and the conventional shots of the band performing together with their instruments towards the climax of the video, for example, the electric guitars and the drum kit.  However, the use of costume doesn't represent the genre of the track fully as they are dressed to represent how people may dress in the 1980's.

This video has 3 main locations, the front room of a house, the street and a nightclub. The use of props in the front room show when the video was supposed to have been set, the 1980's. For example, the old fashioned computer, the Duran Duran posters and the old fashioned television set.  In a wide shot, they are wearing football t-shirts which creates verisimilitude for the audience, the male audience especially as this is an activity (football) that many men would have took part in in the 1980's and what many men still do now. The editing shows the singer surrounded by his friends who are cheering in slow motion, he is looking directly at the camera which shows that he is speaking directly to the audience and is oblivious of what is going on around him. The mid-close up shot of the television set with a beer bottle placed on top also shows that this is a male's house since a football game is shown on the television and a popular male drink with men is beer, this again creates verisimilitude for the audience and shows them something they can relate to. Therefore, this creates interest and appeals to a particular male demographic. These elements show Pam Cook's idea of 'The structure of the classic narrative system' as it states that the narrative should show a fictional world that contains verisimilitude especially governed by spacial and temporal coherence. The video creates a fictional word as it is set in the 1980's but creates verisimilitude as the use of props and performance tell a story which is real and has references to lifestyle habits that a member of the target audience can relate to.

As the music drops and the chorus begins, the editing becomes quicker and a handheld camera is used which reflects the feelings of the men in the video since they are holding beer and must be quite drunk and that they are also having a good time. The lyrics 'If I had any heart left, I'd give it all to you' links to these actions, as I have interpreted it as the singer has nothing left to give and just wants to relax and have fun.

This video tells a story which reinforces Tim O'Sullivan et al's theory of narrative and tells a story which many of the audience would be able to relate to. The group of men have watched a football game where the team they support have won, so they decide to go out and celebrate. Tim O'Sullivan et al's theory states that a media text must appear to be real for the audience to watch it (verisimilitude). Therefore, this typical storyline shows a story which many people who belong to the male demographic, in particular, will have experienced and will appeal to the audience as it tells this particular story.

A tracking shot is used to follow the group of men into the club. In this shot, depth of field is used to show the men in focus in relation to the queue of people that they pass on the way into the club. This could show that they think they are more important than everyone else, and could also reflect Deaf Havana's success as a rock band, since it symbolises that once you have gained fame and fortune you can earn these types of privileges. Laura Mulvey's theory of the Male Gaze is shown within this video as when a female character is shown in the club toilets, she has a male attached to her which could show how she is represented as a sexual object and not wanted for her personality. A further female character who is introduced is dancing in a way where she knows that the male eye is watching since she is surrounded by many men and women but she is doing this unconsciously (John Berger's theory of 'Ways of Seeing'). The use of lighting in the mid close up shot of this female character shows how she has caught the attention of the lead singer and that is what he is focusing on. She is dressed in shorts and a crop top which emphasises her curves which links back to Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory since she is being represented quite sexually and provocatively from the way she is dressed and the way she is dancing.

The editing when the the lead singer and the female meet shows them dancing in slow motion. Furthermore, the use of depth of field in these shots show the couple in focus and the rest of the people surrounding them out of focus, this symbolises how, they alone, are selfishly having a good time and do not care about everyone else in the room.