CHOCOLATE VIDEO ANALYSIS

Introduction• Chocolate is created and sung from the English indie rock

band, The 1975.• It is taken from their second studio album released in

2013.• The video that accompanies the song contains clips that

could resemble a performance but is mostly conceptual.

Relationship between lyrics and visualsThe chorus includes the lyrics ‘we go where no body knows with guns hidden under our petticoats. We’re never gonna quit it, no, we’re never gonna quit it, no’. As this is played, we see the lead singer, Matt, in an underground tunnel smoking an unknown substance. It has connotations of a disobedience towards normal society as him and his band members go to place no one else goes and won’t quit whatever they are doing. There is a sense of rebellion within the lyrics as another line states ‘now run, run away from the boys in the blue’, suggesting that they do not care for rules or laws. As this is heard we see the band in a car,

implying that they are running away from the ‘boys in the blue’, showing once more lack of care for rules and laws. As long as they use these substances in places where no one else goes, it doesn’t matter to

them. There is also a juxtaposition of visuals and lyrics as it implies drug use and briefly uses religious connotations as we see a close up of his body and there is a cross around his neck. It furthers the idea of rebellion as it is defies one of the 7 Deadly Sins. Drug use is

further implied through the lyrics ‘you bite your friends like chocolate’ and ‘oh my hair smells like chocolate’. It suggests that the use of drugs have caused himself and his friends to hallucinate the idea of chocolate, hence why they are taking bites out of one other, under the influence of drugs.Violence is another aspect that is shown in the video as one the lyrics state ‘we got guns hidden under our petticoats’. Simultaneously, we see a pan shot around the band who are dark figures stood in a circle. It resembles violence as the figures are dark and faceless, whilst stood in a circle and the camera pans gives a feeling of intimidation as it looks almost as if they are circling us. Again, this is juxtaposed alongside the religious connotations as wrath and violence is one of the sins those under the influence of religion can’t commit. The visuals used alongside the lyrics work effectively and help establish a deeper meaning behind the lyrics.

Relationship between music and visualsAt the beginning, the music slowly builds tempo and the camera pans slowly along a corridor. As soon as the eat kicks in, it cuts immediately to another scene of the band in the car. In the verses, the music quietens which is shown in the editing and visuals shown which all move slowly alongside the music. When the chorus begins, more instruments are added and the music crescendos. However, the camerawork and movement never varies or changes. Slow pans are used consistently throughout the video and never changes. Visuals have been repeated and camerawork is very limited. It works well at establishing the tone of the song as it is a slow paced song. Despite it crescendo at the chorus, the visuals help create the dull and dark tone that is present from studying the visuals and music alongside the lyrics together.

GenreThe category this video would fall under is indie rock due to the instruments and conventions used. As it is a conceptual video it would be classed as an electronic shaman, according to Carlsson’s theory.

Visually stylish:In terms of visuals, it isn’t particularly stylish as the effects of the video is in black and white which looks unappealing as there is no vibrant colour used to catch the audience’s eyes. The colours used give a dingy feeling to the video along with the aspects of drug use and violence, creating a deeper impact of the dark topics within the song.

Rhythmic montage:The video and music doesn't necessarily correspond with each other in terms of tempo and beat. However, throughout the song, there are indications to all of the band members as they are lip sync and play a part within the song. The camerawork and editing remains unchanged as the song continues. As it is a montage of different clips and scenes, it encourages multiple viewings as we may have missed something from watching it only once. The syncing of the performers and lyrics together adds an aesthetic appeal as it looks in time with one another, successfully adding an aura of professionalism.

Fragmented style:Again, as the music video is conceptual with a mix of performance clips, it is fragmented which can be used to keep the audiences attention rather than it be one long clip. As previously said, it can encourage multiple viewings in case we have missed something the first time, or don’t understand the concept delivered to us straight away.

Mise-en-scene The mise-en-scene used helps establish the idea that it is a part of the indie genre through codes and conventions. It is based on real life events which is typical within the indie genre as they tend to lack the budget to pay for high quality effects and grand landscapes for setting. This is perhaps why there is a constant repeat of visuals and why it all remains very basic in terms of style. There is a sense of voyeurism as we see the lead signer and a woman embrace

each other with no clothes on. Shore would argue this is used to represent the ideal life and is only used to keep the interests of young males with such fantasies. However, this is not the case as it can be used to show Healey’s past love interest. As there is a lot of close ups, it can be used to show his emotions and feelings as he reminisces about the girl, constantly reminded by her as he smells chocolate and flashbacks to all the time they have spent together.

Yet, Goodwin would argue the use of close ups is for the use of the record label who demand such visuals to be shown. This helps contribute to the star image. The lighting used is dark and gives an overall dingy overlook to the video. This relates well with the annotations of drug use and violence, suggesting that their lives are bleak and dull. However, the fact Healey is reminiscing about the girl could also come into effect – his life is banal, repetitive and dull without her. Hence, the dark effect used in editing.The reality of the video appeals to more of the audience as it looks more real and gives a more professional feel to the video and band, improving their image.

Camerawork• As mentioned previously, the camerawork is restricted as it only uses

pans and never varies from this slow movement. It helps the set the mood of the video as it suggests to the audience that Healey is indeed trapped in a boring and dull world without his girl by his side.

• Yet, if taking into account that the song represents rebellion and drug use, then the use of camerawork helps to build up the tension as we are eager to see the result of the rebellion from the ‘boys in the blue’ and the effects of all the drug use and violence. It helps to keep the audience interested as we are eager to see what happens next.

Editing

The editing remains basic and only uses simple cuts to transition into each scene. This is something expected from the indie genre as the budget for these music videos are less than modest. As The 1975 as lesser known than other indie groups, it is expected from them that it is a basic video.

The use of the black and white tint along with a dark contrast helps set the tone of the video but at the same time helps develop the star image as there are other videos of theirs that use similar editing techniques. Also, it a recurring theme throughout their album in which Chocolate is featured on.

Star ImageIt is a serious video which tells the audience that despite being new comers to the music industry, they are serious in what they’re doing and take their job seriously too. As the band itself takes centre stage as the performers and the actors, it increases the authenticity of their image as they are able to use their own faces and voices to conceive a personal meaning behind their lyrics and choices in visuals. Any first time viewers will now expect a certain standard from the band and this is shown in their work. As they released more singles and produced more videos, the quality has increased even more and the standards they are making are climbing. This legitimises the band even more by contributing greatly to their star image as it proves to the audience that they are able to produce a repeatability in the sense of quality throughout their career.

They illustrate and amplify the meaning of their song with a relative amount of success. The use of editing itself is very successful because for anyone who is a fan, they are able to see the contrast and associate it with the band immediately. There is a realistic portrayal of the meanings and we know the band take it very seriously. As it is based on real life and represents true behaviour, it further increasing the authenticity of the band’s image as it adds a personal touch to video. It gives the impression that as it is so real, it could be based on past events in the bands life – they have used their own experiences to create a music video that is personal to them whilst conveying a message they believe in.

The characters represented are real people which once again increases the star image to a point where we are able to trust their ideas and views and know we are being presented a true impression of the band itself. This works well in increasing the fan base whilst improving their image as it is a real image and ideas presented which many of the target audience can relate to. There is little alienation within the target audience as we are all able to gain a good interpretation of the meaning behind the song and visuals without the need for fake characters and fictitious events.

Codes and Conventions

Here is a list of the codes I have found trending throughout the videos I have analysed so far:Hidden deep meaning behind the videoFragmented visuals – keeps the audience interestedRealistic behaviour and charactersSerious messages and professional star image

Promotional material

Album cover Magazine promotion

The black and white theme is consistent throughout the first couple of singles released from their album

It was published months before the album was released to help build up hype for the album