Alyx Entwistle

ROBBIE WILLIAMS: ROCK DJ

NARRATIVEWhat is the story of the music video, characters, settings, conflicts, resolutions?

The story is about Williams trying to win the affections of a female DJ in a crowded roller disco filled with many women. He grows frustrated that the DJ won’t dance with him so takes the drastic action of ripping off his skin and muscles in order to get her attention. It works and the video ends with the DJ dancing with his skeleton.

The characters are Robbie Williams and the DJ (played by Lauren Gold). There are also many extras playing the women skating round Williams.

The setting is the roller disco. Throughout the duration of the video the action always takes place there.

The conflict in the video is the lengths Williams goes to in order to get closer to the DJ who he is obviously attracted to.

It becomes resolved when after Williams is now just a skeleton the DJ finally goes over to dance with him.

MISE-EN-SCENEWhat colours, sets and props are used? Why?

The video is bright but with a blue filter as the disco ball and lights take over the roller disco.

The set is solely the roller disco as the whole video is there.

TARGET AUDIENCEWho is the music video for?

The video is targeted toward mainly women of an age between about 18 and 40. Robbie Williams’ music isn’t solely aimed at this demographic but some of his songs are and the video for this song especially is as it involves him stripping, something women might enjoy.

MUSIC VIDEO STYLEWhat style is used and why?

It is a concept based styled video, with a small narrative also apparent. It is concept because it is very surreal, the idea of a man stripping for girls seems fairly normal but then he begins to rip away at himself leaving

Alyx Entwistle

only a dancing skeleton. This isn’t something that usually happens in music videos and is physically impossible to do in real life so for that reason it is concept based because of the sheer strangeness and originality of the idea. A small narrative is apparent because it tells the story of Williams trying to win the affections of a woman and the lengths he will go to in order to grab her attention. This seems all very normal and sticks to conventions because it is an age-old tale but then it flips it on its head when he begins to peel away his skin.

CAMERA SHOTSWhat shots are used and why?

There are three main shot types used – wide shot, mid shot and close up. While a majority of these shots are mid shots, wide shots are used more frequently towards the end as they provide shots of Williams undressing (the viewer is able to see the action clearer than they would be with a mid or close shot). Close shots effectively capture Williams and a specific skater’s facial expressions towards each other. In addition to shot types, camera movement is a vital element to the cinematography used. From the initial shot of a dolly out to reveal a woman, followed by a pan horizontally to the right further revealing a large group of women, the camera is consistently moving. Particularly with the introduction of Williams, using a high point-of-view shot, as the shot alternates between a dolly in and a dolly out. The camera travels alongside the skaters using a tracking shot – this contrasts the mid-2-shot used at the end showing skeleton Williams and the DJ dancing together. The constant movement has an impact on the pace; while the track is upbeat, the skaters are not moving at a fast speed. The quick change of shot types and track and dolly movements makes it appear fast-paced.

EDITINGDescribe the different editing choices made.

The manipulation of the camera lens is also important as shallow focus is used throughout. Close shots show that Williams in the foreground is sharp and in focus while the skaters in the background are out of focus - this was deliberate because it kept Williams as the focal point. An obscure technique of framing, as various shots feature a woman's lower half, emphasises the narrative and represents that Williams is trying to seduce an attractive woman.

While the lighting is artificial, and serves to validate that they are on a “clubbing scene” due to the consistent flashes on and off, notably however the duration between each flash increases toward the end. This could represent the slowing pace as it reaches its conclusion.

Alyx Entwistle