The music video represents the band as robbers. The institution is Sony BMG and is one of the ‘big four’ therefore wants to appeal to a mainstream audience whilst also keeping within the genre of the music, thus creating a video that is accessible, relatable yet also a little quirky. The ideology suggests that the band are carefree and rebellious libertines; creating audience satisfaction as they watch their fearless Protagonists on their adrenalin filled mission. It is a surreal representation that tells a story set in old America in a western style. The situation is set up in a band robbery style with the band members playing the robbers.
The denotative levels of meaning within the video suggest that Kasabian are rebellious and like to break the rules. On connotative level, this breaking of the rules could be seen as a reference to the music industry; Kasabian could be seen as protagonists against the antagonists of the music business, stealing back their music from an industry that is trying to create throwaway pop music with no real meaning. When the band robs the bank it is revealed that they have not stolen money but music lyrics. This is joined by the replacement of guns with guitars, connoting that music is the bands life. The bank the band rob is called “West Ryder” union; which is a clear intertextual reference to their album the song is from “West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum”. The non verbal meanings within the piece show how music is their money by replacing money with music sheets. The significance of this mis en scene shows that the industry is trying to stop them producing their music as it’s not popular culture. The dominant iconography within the video is the presence of music, which is what it all links back to.
The narrative is set in chronological order, it tells a story which the audience views through in a voyeuristic manner. The heroes and villains are unclear, although it would be commonly viewed that the robber are the bad guys, Kasabian do it in such a way that we almost reach the presumption that they are taking back what is rightly fully theirs as there is no forced violence or hostility and are simply fighting against the institution.
The genre is Indie with the conventions being unconventional towards the mainstream, narcissistic style of pop videos and having a more abstract style to them. In order to keep within the verisimilitude of the video, the band are wearing old fashioned, cowboy style outfits with handkerchiefs covering their faces and the whole video has a slight yellow tinge to it as if it is aged.
The media institutional source for the video is Sony Music. Although Kasabian come across as an alternative rock band, there are certain aspects of them that make the m more accessable than some other bands as, because they belong to a large record company, they have to be slightly more mainstream as Sony Music needs them to sell plenty of records. The video is distributed online through Youtube, their website and Itunes, this is a cheaper way of production and also offers the chance of advertising through other organisations and companies.
The target audience for the video are generally a younger audience, as Kasabian fans tend to be; however there is also an appeal to an older audience who enjoy rock music. They are likely to view the video on Youtube, offering the Sony Music a perfect opportunity to market their goods as they can suggest songs of theirs to listen to if the audience likes Kasabian.
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