Product Analysis 3 - Technical Analysis

Foals - 'Olympic Airways'

By carrying out the technical analysis task i have learnt how much detail needs to go in to making a music video due to the fact that the shots are so short, as seen in the video, the longest shot is 7 seconds with nearly all the other shots lasting 2 to 3 seconds, and as the video lasts over 4 minutes this shows how many takes and re-takes would have to be shot in order to put a music video together. As well as the length of time of the shots, the different camera shots, movement, and angle also differs a lot throughout the video. There are a lot of CU and BCU seen in the video of instruments and the band members playing them, help to construct the narrative rather than go with one of the key elements of a music video by being the demands of the record label. The CU feature, showing the band members, is seen in all of the Foals music videos so they reinforce this ideology of themselves in this music video.

The shots that accompany the introduction of the song, the first 23 seconds, all fade at the end of each shot to black then go to the next shot. The first shot lasts 7 seconds, one of the longest in the whole video, there are 5 other shots that last 3 seconds in the introduction that all use the fade at the end of the shot. This introduction to the video and song establish the location through the use of a number of short cuts rather than using one establishing long shot. A handi-cam is used in the introduction to the song, this then allows the camera to track along the floor, there also being relevant CU shows as well. From then on jump cuts are predominantly used going from one shot to a different shot, there are a lot of tracking shots seen in the video, as whole video is over cranked, so all the motions that are acted by the people seen in the video are in slow motion. This also allows the camera to get closer to the artists for example, there is a performance shot where a handi-cam is used and the camera tracks from a MS of the band to a CU of the lead singer.

There are a number of links between the lyrics and the visuals seen in the video. For example in the first chorus when it says, "Let's disappear 'till tomorrow", there is a low angle CU of the lead singer as he pulls a black cloak over his head to disappear. The narrative is constructed through this link between the lyrics and the visuals due to there being a number of shots that have this feature. There are a number of performance shots in the video which comply to the conventions of the indie genre. There is also a BCU of the drummers feet, he is wearing plimsolls and you can also see his skinny jeans which also have connotations with the indie genre. There are also a number of performance shots repeated, for example the low angle MS of the band performing is seen a number of times, and there are also a number of BCU shots of instruments and the band members playing them. One that stands out which is repeated a number of times is a shot when the lead singer is standing to the right side of the screen, however it is a CU of him with the rest of the band out of focus in the background. The lead singer is singing the song in almost all of the shots of him when he is seen like this. The lead singer is renowned as a recluse and this shot reinforces this as he is segregated from the other band members, and the fact that this particular shot is repeated reinforces this idea.

This video has a number of shots that i particulaly like. I especially like the first 6 shots and the way they fade at the end of each shot. Throughout the whole video i like the use of over cranking and having a handi cam to track through, as it enables the camera to get as close as possible to the action. I think the set up of the first chorus and how the band members are seen when they are singing, "Dis-a-ppe-ar", with one band memeber sitting behind the other in a zig-zag formation, and the shot being a MS so we are able to see them all saying disappear is a very good shot to use. The main thing i have learnt in doing this exercise is the number of shots in the video, much more than what i had first thought, and it has given me a better understanding of the different camera shots, movements and angles that are necessary within a music video.