Nine Frame Analysis

Listzomania - Phoenix

Slide 1

This is a medium close up of two of the band members. There is a special effect on the camera to make the footage seem more dated and vintage (many people associate

vintage with indie as people like to look ‘individual’, i.e. wearing clothing people used to wear in the 70’s but not seen as much now). The band are walking through a park

holding a giant balloon with the bands logo on. Their sunglasses and clothes symbolise their music genre and make them look cool and attracts the audience.

Slide 2

This is a long shot of the band standing in a field. Again, they have edited this footage with a vintage effect to make it look more dated and somewhat authentic (like a

homemade band video). They are in the middle of a field which is often a recognisable location for indie genre as indie is associated with nature sometimes. The band are all wearing skinny jeans and the one looking up is wearing a denim jacket – again this is

typical indie fashion and can be associated with this genre and song.

Slide 3

This extreme long shot shows the band and their giant balloon promoting their own logo. The shot is almost on a canted angle when you look at how the ground is not flat. This helps show the

band in a ‘small band big world’ perspective and how their music, along with their promotion balloon, embarks them on a difficult journey through the music industry. The band all wear

similar clothing and colours, which helps give them that individual look rather than following the fashion like everybody else. This shot is also in slow motion which is an unusual pairing for a very

upbeat song.

Slide 4

This is a point of view shot of the microphone stand in front of an empty large venue. It helps give the audience a better perspective of the lead singer and how he is feeling as he is about to sing in such a large building. The fact there is nobody in the venue could emphasise on the start of their musical career, just like the slow motion effects used in the shots previously. The high key lighting on the microphone against the low key lighting around makes the singing task seem daunting and

creates a spotlight feeling. The circle lights dotted about in the distance could reflect on the band’s dreams, that one day they will be well-known and famous.

Slide 5

This is a medium close up shot of the band member. This shot is filmed with a blocking technique which gives the audience a sense of spying. The footage has had the old vintage effect edited back into it which supports the idea of the band making home videos of their life. The portrait

drawing in the background is often shown throughout the video which may be a link to the name of the song ‘Listzomania’ (the intense fan frenzy directed toward Franz Listz during his

performances).

Slide 6

This is a medium close up shot of the lead singer with the other band members in the background as a pull focus. The other band members in the background seem to be minding their own business (one watching the lead singer sing into the camera, one looking out the window and one playing his guitar). The room that they are in

seems upper class and posh.

Slide 7

This is another Point Of View shot of a tourist signpost saying ‘Franz-Listz-Museum’, again, with a link to the name of the song and what it is about. The shot is shown through a cut zoom out edit, and it’s obvious that the band have a passion for this

artist. The surroundings around the post look as if the band are travelling around in a foreign european country.

Slide 8

This medium shot of the band walking through a crowd of fans shows the drastic change in their career, how at the beginning they were on their own walking about in the park, playing in an

empty venue etc, and how now they are walking through a sea of fans. The fans around them all seem to have the same fashion taste and look and seem to be very happy that their favourite

band Phoenix are walking through them.

Slide 9

This establishing shot can be interpreted in a few ways. Firstly, it fits in with the end of the song as the music stops because the field and big open space seems calm and quiet. Also, the field

could symbolise the beginning of Phoenix’s career where they would walk about in nature places and not have the opportunity of performing to people as they were not known then yet. Thirdly, the field could be seen as a way of the band looking out onto the world, wishing to pursue their dreams of becoming a worldwide band, and the whole video could have been just a dream to

them all.