‘Conquest’

- The White Stripes

The video clip that I have chosen to analyse is ‘Conquest’ by The White Stripes. I have chosen to analyse this video as it follows a story. Similarly to Taylor Swifts, however with a more appropriate music style next to the song we have. Also I think it is an interesting video and keeps the audience entertained throughout, it combines different cultures and a different type of story compared to an unconventional love story, however, the love story of the song is more of an underlying message of the love of the man and defeat of the man, rather than the obvious message of Taylor Swifts, this suggests it also appeals to an older audience, that would understand it, similar to that of my own.

I have also chosen to analyse this song as it is a much more upbeat song similar to that of my own and therefore an appropriate comparison, the ideas will also come in highly useful when considering how I want my music video.

The scene opens on a set of a bull ring where the bull fighter, the protagonist/artist, enters on a horse, this is already an unconventional video using the theme of a bull fighter.

In the video, the protagonist is fighting a bull, in the start, he is winning, until the bull changes and in the end defeats him. The bull is a metaphor for a female, who it cuts to frequently in the video.

The clothes worn directly relate to the culture. The protagonist is wearing a bright red bull fighters outfit. The red has connotations of both blood and romance, which relates to the song. This has an underlying message of him being a promiscuous man, not caring of the hearts that are broken, until the tables are turned, and he finds himself falling in love with the woman, into which she can abandon as he would her.

The hair he has also relates to his personality and the theme of the video, it begins slick, like his personality, but as the fight continues it becomes out of place in which case he becomes flustered.

A bull is used in the video as a metaphor for the woman that the video cuts to frequently. The video begins as the bull being beaten, until when he comes to finally beat the bull, he cannot do it, and feels sympathy and compassion, as he did for the woman. In that case the bull turns and defeats the man, demonstrating the underlying message of the woman beating the man.

Sand is used in the bull ring to represent dirt, at the opening of the video, the bull fighter rides in on a horse, however as the video continues and he appears to be ‘losing his edge’ he gets more dirty. This refers to the underlying message of him being the type of promiscuous man that breaks heart, that are often referred to as ‘dirty’.

The sand also emphasises the set and storyline of a famous bullfighter and his audience, which therefore makes it more realistic and believable to the audience.

During the action sequences between the bull and the bull fighter, the sand is disturbed and makes the sequence seem more energetic and pragmatic.

The sand also makes the separate colours stand out against each other; the dark black of the bull, and the bright red of the outfit worn of the bullfighter, this then encapsulates our attention the fight. However it is also makes the whole video seem brighter and much lighter on the eyes, as bright colours next to each other are much easier on the eyes and would make the video much more enjoyable for the audience. [The sand is a very light shade of yellow/white].

At the end of the video, when the protagonist is defeated and lying on the floor, he draws a love heart into the dirt, however the bull is stood by the side whilst roses are being thrown at him. This represents how he has fallen for the female, and he is crying into the dirt at how he is heartbroken.

This goes further to insinuate the dirt of a man, and how he breaks the heart of so many people, and is therefore ironic for him to draw a love heart into the dirt. He then rubs the love heart away to represent he is broken hearted, as to how he leaves so many women, and finally signifies how love has backfired on the man and finally left him broken hearted.

Many times in the video it cuts to a female that expresses different emotions from boredom at his arrogance, and finally amusement at the end when he is defeated.

This therefore further illustrates the metaphor of the bull being a woman.

The height of the protagonist also changes throughout the video. He begins arriving on a horse, making him taller that the rest of the people, and therefore insinuating more power and strength. Then he gets off his horse in order to fight, making him the same as everybody else, then the bull begins to defeat him and he ends up crawling on the floor away from the bull, until finally he is lying on the floor, as low as he can get, this shows the complete change in power and is like he has literally been ‘crushed’.

Camera is used to emphasise the use of mise-en scene in order to create more of an atmosphere.

There is a close up of the protagonists eyes to show the sheer determination in defeating the bull and achieving what he wants. It also shows arrogance as he has done it so many times and has become notorious for it by the crowds of people.

Many close ups are used on his face throughout the video to show the changing emotion from the arrogance, to sympathy and love, to finally defeat and pain.

A close up of the bull is used to show the expression and the emotion that is given. Previously, all the shots of the bull have been medium and long distance shots. This therefore gives an audience perception that it is just a regular bull that is just another to be defeated, referring to the metaphor of the bull just being like any other woman he can have.

A point of view shot is used, however it is from the bulls point of view and it is only used once in the video. This is used to show the males position as the bull runs towards him. By using a point of view shot only once as the bull, it implies that the actual situation has changed, rather than showing him running at the bull, it shows the bull running at him, and as a result shows the change in power.

A wide angle is used upon entering the arena to make the show the audience the crowd, the bull ring, and the characters altogether.

A high angle is used when the man is being defeated and it shows him scrambling on the floor trying to get away. This makes it appear like we are looking down on him and the change in height suggests a change in strength. From him arriving on a horse at the beginning with much power and strength, until he is on the floor with a low angle.

In contrast, a low angle is used at the start of the video to make him appear much stronger and more powerful.

A master shot is used when the man is fighting the bull to also include the audience so that we can witness the reaction as well as the fight sequence.

Editing is used to cut between the camera shots; this creates a mood towards the camera, as the camera would towards the mise en scene.

Cutaways are used to show the changing reactions between the female, the male and the bull. Such as when the male is showing off in the bull ring, it cuts to the female, who is giving a look of disgust, these are used so the audience are away that the two actions are directly related.

Continuity of motion is used to make the fight sequence flow better and appear sequential, this therefore makes it seem more realistic to the viewers.

A jump cut is used when the man is removing the piece of wood from the bulls back. This is also repeated and therefore does not fully fit together making the audience aware that it is significant. It is significant as it is the point where the man changes his opinion and is therefore why it is repeated and why a jump cut is used, of the same event at different angles.

Relational editing is also used between the main protagonist busy fighting the bull, and the female watching him in the corner. Although the female is unrelated to the sequence, it gives implications of the associations of the metaphor which is the bull for those that have not picked up on it previously.

The sound is used to often match the scenes and emphasise what is going on, however obviously this is a music video, and in this case the scenes are used to match the music and to emphasise the lyrics and music.

The sound opens the video with the sounds of a cheering crowd, this relates to the theme of the video as a bullfighter.

When the lyrics of the song say: ‘Didn’t care whose heart was broke, love to him was a joke, until he looked into her eyes’, this relates to the underlying message previously displayed in the PowerPoint, however this can be seen within the bull fight. In the part of ‘didn’t care whose heart was broke’ refers to either could be killed, and it displays the part of looking into ‘her eyes’ of the bull, which has the the human emotions and is therefore relating the love of the woman.

The song then goes on to sing ‘and then in the strange way things happen, those roles were reversed for that day, the hunted became the hunter, the hunter became the prey.’ This refers to both the reversing roles of the bull and the man, from the man defeating the bull, to the bull defeating the man, but also the man trying to take the woman, but then the woman takes the man, and therefore further illustrates the metaphor of the bull.

CGI is used on the close up of the bulls face, this is to give the bull human features and personify it. It shows the bull winking and blowing kisses which further relates the bull to the female. It is used to make the video seem more comical and break it away from just a bull fight which could become too intense.