GW: Deconstruction of a music video 1

 
Genre and Narrative 

• This is a performance-conceptual video, with an incomplete narrative base in the concept. The band has shots of them performing as a group in the setting of the concept, alongside a first person mode of address performance from the lead singer in a different setting.
• This is an example of amplification, as it uses the lyrics 'rat in a cage' and develops the idea of being trapped in a difficult system to the image of workers in a mine, adding more meaning to the song.
• This video could potentially be considered art, as it challenges a system, and does not inherently advertise the band.

Media Language

• The message of the video is that people are trapped like slaves to an unforgiving system,which matches the subversive/ alternative band image created by the rock band.

Representation 

• The band are represented as being social commentators, as they are separate to the stories of the workers, yet are present in the situation. They are shown to be alternative through clothes and hairstyles- long haired guitarist and the female bass player wears a white 'futuristic' number.
• The poor workers in what looks like South American mines are represented on the surface, as their stories are touched upon. They are thin and dirty, emphasising the squalid working conditions and indicating a lack of money... it could cause a sense of pity, and represents people in poorer countries as vastly different to those in richer western places, thus corresponding with the hegemonic ideology presented by the media about these places, ignoring the fact that they also have areas of wealth. Yet the lyrics suggest that they could be a cog in the whole system that most people work in- it is just a more striking example.
• the use of the close up on the loudspeaker is representative of control. The separation of those in charge is commonly shown in this way, they are a faceless entity giving orders, which are obeyed. It is a subversive image for many, as it dehumanises authority.
• The rage and anger of the people is often linked to a class divide. The working class people fight and struggle, suggesting that they are less well educated and more animalistic. On the other hand, one may read it as the pent up frustration exploding, as they are treated unfairly and overworked.