Task 8 - Analysis of Music Videos (5)

The fifth and final music video that I am going to be analysing is 'Drag Me Down' by One Direction.



Conventions of a general video from the genre of pop music include it being set somewhere bright and shows people having a good time in the summer. This One Direction video does fit the stereotype of a typical music video from the pop genre as it is filmed in a location where the sun is streaming in. Not only that, but, the four members of One Direction appear to be having a good time.

There is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. The line in the chorus "drag me down" can be heard as we see the group training to become astronauts. This fits the theme of the lyric and the whole song. This is because the group are training to become astronauts and so, are preparing for a lack of gravity. This tells the audience that the members of One Direction are so in love that can nothing can drag them back down to Earth - not even gravity.

As well as there being a relationship between the lyrics and visuals, there is a clear relationship between the music and visuals. The video is edited so that it cuts to the beat. One clear example of this during the first 14 seconds. On the sound of a guitar chord, the video cuts from a close-up of One Direction member Harry to the narrative of other One Direction member Niall training to become an astronaut. This tells the audience that the narrative is important as the group get closer to singing the chorus of the song.
                                                                                        An example of the video cutting to the beat.
Another example of the video cutting to the beat is at 55 seconds into the video. A clear beat of a drum can be heard multiple times and when each one is heard, a quick montage of a variety of shots of the members of the group can be seen. This tells the audience that each member of the group is of equal importance.

Throughout this video, there are several close-ups of the artists throughout this video. This creates the impression that all of the members of One Direction are of equal importance.
It looks like the record company are showing the audience that the track is about being in love and being 'on top of the world'. This is clearly shown through the group members and the expressions on their faces.       

                                      Examples of close-ups used throughout the video.                                                                          
In this video, there is approximately 50% narrative and 50% performance. For the narrative aspect of the video, the members of One Direction are training to become astronauts. This is shown to the audience by the fact that the boys are training at NASA and can be seen putting on the uniform for the astronaut in the very first shot of the video. 
For the performance aspect of the video, all four group members can be seen singing in what looks similar to an aircraft carrier. This shows the audience that the group are dedicated to the narrative and the performance being related to each other.

Narrative in video.                                                                          Performance in music video.











In conclusion, this One Direction video is a usual music video from the genre of pop because it is set in a place where the sun can be seen streaming in.