The Killers - Somebody Told Me Analysis

One of the most common ways In which artists are portrayed or represented is through their music videos so I decided to analyse some as I will eventually have to create my very own music video for my coursework. I decide to analyse The Killers - Somebody Told Me: 

The video is set in desert in which the band can be seen playing into the early morning. There is only one location throughout the video and the Mise en scene remains the same for the duration of the song. The Mise en Scene is mix of classic rock with jeans and t-shirts and more 21st century rock in the sense there are also members of the band wearing blazers, cardigans and a polo shirt. The majority of the video is purely the band performing with the main focus on the lead singer. However there are cuts to silhouettes of women dancing in-front of a screen lit up by the bands name, this occurs mainly in the chorus. This could represent a link to the lyrics when it says "I had a girlfriend" connecting the song to the women in the video, the placement of these women and their actions will also appeal to male viewers as It implies sex appeal, where as the band themselves may appeal more towards a female audience. There is a very fast cutting rate at the start of the video before the lyrics begin and before the lead singer has properly been introduced, this could be done to create suspense and excitement for the audience as they will be eager to the performance to begin. The band can also been seen as silhouettes at the start of the video, this could be linked to the silhouettes of the women later on and could portray that they are similar linking In with the lyric "you had a boyfriend that looked like a girlfriend". In the background of the video there Is a footage of the band playing to the song In the day time as well as a "Killers" light-show, this could imply that the band having been playing although the day and are playing into the night, not only this but the "Killers" imagery could be in place to make sure people know who they are by the end of the video if they didn't already. The images of the band playing during the day creates the impression that the band are hardworking or even "hardcore" a classic convention of the rock genre, which will appeal to their audience greatly. The performance is very lively from the lead singers point of view, he is seen to be moving around a lot during the video this could be emphasise that he is the lead and the attention should be drawn to him. Their is also heavy focus on the drummer, another classic rock convention. The band look at the camera on several occasions throughout the performance giving the video a more personal feel. The lighting used in the video appears to be low lit spotlighting this is a clever way of drawing focus to certain aspects of the performance. The positioning of the band is also that of a classic Rock band with the drummer at the back, lead in the middle and the two guitarist either side, The true rock audience will be able to relate to this. Throughout the video there are a range of different shots such as close ups, long and medium shots as well as low and high angle shows also, what this does is create a more interesting and enjoyable performance via a variety of different aspects. When the video reaches the end and the band finish performing it gives the impression they have just finished a concert, this could be to try and encourage the audience to see them live as the type of performance seen in the video is how they will perform live at a concert. Overall I believe the video works well, although the video is more Pop Rock than true Rock it is still a very clever and successful use of lyrics, performance, editing, Mise en Scene and sound. 

It is useful to look at music videos, to understand more about artists and how they are portrayed through their own videos. This will be very helpful for me when it comes to creating my own music video, I will look to videos such as this one If I were to choose the genre of Rock.