DW - Music Video Deconstruction

Institutions, Audience, Genre and Narrative 



Queens of the Stone Age are not a pop band, therefore their video is most likely to be a consumed in a focused viewing, where an audience member has searched for the video to actively watch. It would not be liable to ambient viewing as it doesn't gain wide stream success in the media.

Because the band are quite unique and again not a pop band, the record label will have less of a say in their promotional texts. This is because the band does not rely so much on promotion, instead they have a devoted fan base that they know will consume their material with very little promotion. This enables them to have more control of their promotional texts, and be less controlled by the record label.

There are a lot of genre conventions in the music video, for example the performance mixed with a narrative, which is very popular in rock music. Being alternative rock, it is also usual to see some weird events in music videos, for example the hands being seasoned and prepared as meat. The notion of looking is very common in QOTSA videos, and quite common within the genre.

In the video there is generally an amplified relationship between lyrics and visuals, giving a creative interpretation. However, there are occasional illustrative points in the lyrics, for example "a lick of the lips".

Although the music video serves for commercial purposes, it isn't just for promotion, and instead offers some artistic value. It could be deemed as post modern as it a combination of the two, and offers the audience a range of benefits.


Media Language



This music video reinforces a strong band image for QOTSA, that sticks within their genre characteristics. The social message portrayed is through the lyrics of the song as opposed to the video, as it is mainly performance based.

The visual techniques used to portray the band image are primarily the use of mise-en-scene and camera. Low key lighting and grungey costume play a big part in the band's image as they are shown to be 'rock and roll' by wearing leather jackets, and the dark light helps to reinforce the gurney, dangerous undertones associated with them. The camera also uses a lot of CU's on an eyeline match, this positions the audience with band, and also establishes them with the audience.

As far as I am aware, there is no intertextuality within the video, and no references to polar culture have been used.


Representation



DZ Deathrays' star persona is constructed in this video and is analysable through the use of Dyers star image theory.

The band are simultaneously present and absent in the video, as they only appear at 2:25, and are shown in a montage for around 15 seconds. They are also simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary, through the use of the montage editing to convey there rushed and high tempo energy. This incoherence adds to their incomplete star image, and drives audiences to complete the image through continuous consumption.

The video also promotes lots of Dyer's star qualities, for example youthfulness, rebellion, talent, anger, disregard for social values, and shows in the partaking of drugs by the police 'K9 Unit'. These star qualities are deemed important by the media, and helps artists to promote themselves easily by getting the attention of others. This and their incoherence is what helps them sell their product.

Different social groups are represented in the video, to help the band sell their promotional texts to their consumers.

The police, and more specifically the 'NYPD K9 Unit' are portrayed as the main two characters in the music video. They are represented very negatively from the start of the video, as they are seen to smash up and urinate on a car, take advantage of drunk women and smoke drugs. This is an emergent ideological discourse on an institution such as the police, and is the very opposite of the police stereotype.

An alternative representation of the police though could be seen as positive, as the characters shown in the video may relate to a lot of people choosing to watch the video (as it is from the grungy genre of noise rock), so would see them on the same level as themselves. The things done in the video are a strong stereotype of youths, and because of this, it portrays a strong dominant ideological discourse on age/youth.