JB: Technical Analysis - The Streets 'Blinded by the Lights'

The Streets - 'Blinded by the Lights'

This music video has aspects of qualities in which we would consider using for our video.

This music video is a narrative with lots of lip syncing – an aspect we were going to try and avoid but we preferred other features of camera movement and synaesthesia.

At the very beginning of this video there is diegetic sound of a phone call, this is an aspect I really like as it sets the scene and gives a starting point to the audience. We were considering opening our video with a piece of found footage so diegetic sound may need to be used with this. It worked very well in this video.

Towards the beginning of this video the cutting rate is much slower than the later, despite the long ‘final shot’. This connotes the lyrics are aligned with the video. The cutting rate appears to increase as the main character begins to feel the effects of the drugs he is seen taking, the shots then also use much more present effects the connote how he is feeling ‘different’. Many more close ups are used in the second part of this video though to imply his facial expressions when under the influence of drugs which although the duration of the shots isn’t too long, we establish a strong depth of field.

There is mostly movement in every shot due to a handi-cam camera being used to connote drug use. The shots that are still usually, are usually the ones with shorter duration to create a realism to the narrative that is being shown and it allows the audience to feel more involved so they can immerse themselves.

Although in some cases the rule of thirds is used but in most of the case the main character is in the middle of the picture, especially in the POV almost ‘selfie’ shots. This is interesting because it connotes he is the main character and therefore is also what we want to do with our video. We attempted to do this with our video as well to show clearly who is our main character. This would make the audience feel more connected to the character.

Towards the end of the song the cutting rate becomes faster as the character starts to feel the effect of the drugs. Thus also represents the change in narrative as the story becomes more intense. The feeling created would cause the audience to feel slightly more on edge and worry for the character and become more involved.

Number of Shot	Type of shot	Camera movement and Mise-en-scene	Shot duration
1	LS	Movement is relatively still, shot cuts to a close up of hands passing drugs over the table. Character blocking shows the men sitting around a table, comparing narcotics	2 seconds
2	CU	Pull focus away from bottle shows characters’ emotions on expecting pill. Rule of thirds is used to show him off centre.	4 seconds
3	XCU	Out of focus shot examines cocaine on man’s nose, blurry camera connotes consequences of drug use.	2 seconds
4	Panning MCU	A low angle shot of the first man taking a shot, pans to the second to imply the succession in which they are drinking.	2 seconds
5	CU	Handicam, Bodycam POV of himself implies he is starting to feel the effects of the drugs, he is also sweaty and the stumbling around implies a sudden whip pan is being used. The length of the shot connotes he is starting to ‘slow down’. Contradicts song lyrics showing synaesthesia as he says ‘still not feeling anything’.	9 seconds
6	CU	Close up of phone recording a sexual experience shows use of framing and implies the variety of shots used. Camera whip pans back and forwards to imply it is the man engaging in the sexual activity is the one recording.	1 second
7	XCU	360 degrees pan shot connotes ‘everything in the rooms spinning’ as the lyrics state and blur of colour grading connote the effects of drug use. Showing how Dyers' theory of the actions matching the lyrics works.	6 seconds
8	Establishing shot	Tracking longshot of dancefloor shows view from behind DJ decks and connotes the darkened tone of the room, connoting it is getting into the later part of the night	3 seconds
9	LS	Still longshot shows the contrasting attitudes of the night as the woman in view is clearly nowhere near intoxicated as the main character, who’s state is connoted by constant camera movements and whip pans.
10	CU	Canted low angle shows how he has been knocked unconscious and the lighting of the Disco light beam occasionally passing his face connote his night is over and the use of lighting clearly show the blood pouring from his nose.	8 seconds
11	MS	The over-the-shoulder shot of the girl in the mirror connotes a fly on the wall as she gets ready connoting intimacy. The camera movement pans from left to right to show her changing emotions as the phone cuts out.	4 seconds
12	CU	The POV close up connotes his worried emotions and the swaying camera movements and rule of thirds show his instability.	5 seconds
13	XCU	The extreme close up of the girl’s face shows her intense emotions as she appears to be engaging in sexual intercourse. This creates an intimate feel and the sway of the camera reinforce this activity	1 second
14	MLS	This MLS of the man kissing the woman’s neck acts as conformation of the sexual act. The MLS also establishes the scene as they appear to be in a cloakroom, the stillness of the camera therefore creates a sense of tension meaning they can’t be caught.	2 seconds
15	MS	The low angle from the bar show the main character not really feeling the party vibe, this is enhanced by a pull focus of people dancing in the background and the stillness of the camera	4 seconds