Franz Ferdinand Walk away (2005)The first shot lasts about 18 or so seconds and is a consistent shot, starting off as an extreme close-up showing the lead singers eye and gradually zooming out and rotating around the singer in a full 360 rotation. The colours used are quite bright and therefore are very useful to us in our progress as we intend to make good use of colourful imagery. The colour here seems to juxtapose the main themes of the song as the colours are overly bright and suggest a degree of happiness and high youthful spirits however the song itself is somewhat downbeat and very much contrasting to the use of colour. The consistent shot helps to set the scene and shows the lead singers state of mind perhaps, in the suggestion of thoughts being continuous and repetitive, going in circles around your head.

This second shot shows a mid-shot of the lead singer and makes clear use of direct address, causing it to feel more like he is both aware of the music video and like he is connecting with the audience. Here we can see more clearly the singers smart clothes and use of a very brightly coloured vest. This is something that we will probably reference in our own video as we want our band members to be colourful and fun in appearance and also fit in with the genre, by appearing smart. We can tie this in very easily with our want to use a Mod style in our bands representation. Other than the singers clothes the shot is very dark again as a stark juxtaposition of the happy connotations of the clothes he is wearing and therefore again relating to the main themes of the video.

This third screen shot shows another band member similarly dressed smartly and in bright colours, this helps the band to create a united identity and therefore makes it easier for them to create synergy. This shot is a close up and is designed mainly to add a sense of personal connection through direct address, and also show the persons expression. This makes it so that the audience feels more connected with the band. The shot has connotations that again juxtapose the bright colours of the clothes that he is wearing in that it suggests he is very serious and not quite happy about either what is being sung or said(implied).

This shot shows the lead singer at another mid-shot while he sings to the camera before moving away from the camera. This again creates a further sense of connection with the audience but also shows relation to the lyrics which are about someone walking away from him. He turns his back on the audience removing the sense of direct address which could act as a presentation of his own removal from the person in the song or perhaps a presentation of becoming removed from his self and wanting to walk away from the problem(or his weaknesses). Again this shot returns to the use of bright primary colours and a simple green light in the back that doesn’t do much in terms of lighting up the shot. Again this could act as a suggestion of the darkness he can see himself surrounded by.

This shot is only a short lasting one (Low ASD) and shows the bands drummer, serving only to introduce us to another member of the band and therefore enforcing the band identity. This is done through the use of Mise-en-scene as the drummer appears to be in the same room as the singer and guitarist and is also dressed in smart clothes with a fairly bright vest. The band are creating a sense of identity through the use of old fashioned yet smart styling for the clothes as well as the setting itself and the use of black and white with old fashioned cars and trains etc. that appear later in the video. This creates a fully synergistic appearance and shows (when you consider the style of their other videos) that the band is very adaptable. This can be seen also in the way that the logo appears on the bands website, the logo changes frequently and fits in with the old fashioned style of the band. This shows that while having a notable identity the band are still very adaptable.

The next shot returns to the lead singer and shows him turn slowly to face the camera before looking away once again still looking very serious and juxtaposing the mise-en-scene this serves to present the singer as somewhat guarded. Which connotes that the singer is quite a private individual and is unwilling to share all with the audience but also making it known that he is very much aware of the camera and the fact that he is featuring in a music video. When seen with the next shot this shows address between band members as we see the singer share a look with the guitarist showing the bands interpersonal relations and that they are a unit-all there for each other.

This shot is only short lasting shot (low ASD) and shows an eyeline match in that it shows what (who) it is that the lead singer is looking at which helps to make the audience member feel as though they are in the singers mind as they are seeing what he is seeing/thinking. It shows a mid-shot of the guitarist and acts as a means to show us the guitarists reactions and movements more clearly. The way in which the guitarist is looking at the singer then away to the guitar connotes that he perhaps knows something that we don’t or that the singer is unaware of. The shot makes wide use of bright primary colours particularly in the background and reflects the fun ideals of the band that we are able to see in other videos such as ‘Take Me Out’ and on the website.

This shot I find to be a very aesthetically pleasing one, I think that the general set up of this shot is clever and interesting. It shows the whole band together for the first time in this video and presents the group dynamics with the lead singer appearing more prominent and authoritative and the other band members all level with each other and therefore at the same status. While appearing more authoritative due to his standing position the lead singer can be seen as an equal to the rest of the band in that he is wearing the same colour as the drummer while the other two members have completely different colours on. This all helps to make the band appear as a unit yet the singer still seems a solitary figure regardless in his stance and the fact that he then moves off to stand alone at the window. This shot is somewhat symmetrical in the way that everything is set up, props in the background as well as the way in which the band members are situated around the room, this adds to the aesthetic appeal of the shot. I think that this shot is one that my group might consider making use of as I feel it is particularly effective and appealing.

This shows the lead singer as he progresses through the room and past his band members, towards the window. It helps us to track his progress and therefore despite the lack of direct address we feel more connected and involved in what is happening.This shot serves little other purpose than to follow his progress and make the transition into meeting the final band member smoother.

Here we have been shown a very short clip of the final band member (bass guitarist) as the lead singer moves past him in the background. From this shot we can see even more clearly how he fits in with the band identity as he is smartly dressed with his sleeves rolled up like all of the other members and a brightly coloured vest on top. The rolled up sleeves helps to make the band appear more casual even with their very smart dress and causes them to feel more approachable and informal for the fans to identify with. The background colours here are still quite bright and as such make his transition into black and white/muted blue filtered tones more noticeable when they happen. That the main parts with the band together with no ‘outsiders’ connotes that for the band the brightest/happiest time is when they are all together and the presence of others means that everything becomes darker and less cheerful.

This shot follows the lead singer as he moves towards the window and then zooms in as he moves towards the window. This shot is framed nicely by the window and makes the singer appear as a solitary figure as he moves away seemingly to reflect by the window (and thus introducing a nice transition into a flashback). The band members in shot are looking away from the camera and towards the lead singer who is looking back at them and therefore making it appear as though the band are sharing a moment and causing it to feel as though this is a private for them. This has connotations of the closeness that they share and again helps them to appear as a unit. Once again the lead singer reflects the song lyrics in that he turns his back on the camera and his band members.

Shots later in the film that I feel are very effective and may be useful to my groups production.

Here I have chosen some shots that I found to be particularly interesting and appealing that I feel would look quite effective in our own production should we adapt it and choose to combine them with other more appropriate imagery and symbolism for our own song. The ones that I feel would be particularly useful to us are the shots of the spotlights as our group wanted to make good use of colour but were unsure of the best ways in which to do this. I think that the shots shown here are particularly effective in their simplicity and as such would be immensely useful to our production.