Shot Count Task

Shot Count Task

Always Like This - Bombay Bicycle Club



For my shot count I decided to choose this video by Bombay Bicycle Club as they are an alternative rock/indie based band which fits into the genre that I wish to focus on in my coursework (Indie/Alternative Rock). 

Bombay Bicycle Club often demonstrate their quirkiness and individuality through their body language. Their distinctive 'dance moves' and facial expressions suit the style of Jack Steadman's singing, and almost make the lyrics and words of the song seem more true and meaningful to the audience. Also, the unique editing techniques and effects used in Always Like This support the idea of an 'authentic' feel, a popular convention across the Indie genre.

For this task I had to count how many shots I could In this music video I did a shot count which added up to approximately 140 shots. It was quite a difficult task to do as the pace of the editing was so fast that it was hard to keep up with the shot count. The types of shots vary throughout the video but one the most popular types are medium shots of the band members playing instruments, mainly guitars. There are also a number of establishing shots to emphasise on the way the band perform and walk to different places throughout the day and into the night. The repetitive lyrics of 'It's Always Like This' make me personally feel as if the lyrics link in with a complicated love situation, where the relationship has flaws and always goes back to square one (hence the idea of 'it's always like this' - this meaning the problems).

For quite an thought-provoking song, the number of cuts in the video is quite high. This could be because the emotion is hidden behind the editing and more upbeat moments of the song.

Genre
The IndieAlternative Rock genre of this music video is shown mainly through the use of editing and mise-en-scene (instruments such as guitars, drums etc.). The effects used in the video such as the 'recording', 'pause' and 'play' symbols and distorted purposely bad camera quality add a comforting home-ly feel, as if this video was filmed by the band themselves using their own personal camcorders. The colours used in the video seem quite dull and unhappy, which could reflect the lyrics in the song.

Narrative
The music video itself does not follow a specific story. If I could interpret any sign of a story shown through the visuals it would be about the band embarking on their journey through fame and musical development, as the band start off playing around houses and car garages, but by night they end up on the streets, in a bar and by a bus stop. This is also one of the band's debut songs, so this kind of idea would make sense. However, on the lyrical side of the song a completely different story. An analysis of the lyrics could conclude about love.

Audience
Bombay Bicycle Club do not have a gender specific audience but their style of music does attract those who enjoy listening to indie genre, as Jack Steadman's style of singing is not the usual vocals you'd hear in the Top 40 Chart. His image relates to his fans: long hair, skinny jeans, shirts. These are all linked to an 'indie' fashion taste that a lot of fans are likely to follow to make a statement and to portray their music taste.

Representation
Althought all band members of the group are male, they subvert the typical male icon. Jack Steadman is quite skinny and his glasses make him out to be labelled as 'geeky'. However, the indie genre turns this usually negative image into a positive one, promoting that it is 'cool to be different and unique'. This is similar with other indie based bands, such as Tom Vek.

Comparing to Another Genre

David Guetta - Little Bad Girl ft. Taio Cruz



Compared to Bombay Bicycle Club above, this music video comes from a dance/pop genre. The song is more upbeat and fast paced, therefore we would expect to hear this song in places such as clubs and bars where people dance. The video also highlights more features of a party-like atmosphere such as flashing lights, bright colours and lots of people dancing. I counted 137 shots in this video.