Galantis - Peanut Butter Jelly:
Brief:
This video is about spreading positivity and having the confidence to do whatever you want to do. Even if it isn't really your thing or anyone elses. The colour scheme is a pastel secondary palate. There is no real deep meaning to the song other than do what you want. It's a feel good tune with a catchy melody and lyric set that can be learned within minutes. The song will have been targeted at a general audience rather than a specific demographic. However, it is more popular with 12-25 year old of both sexes.
The music video opens with an establishing shot of a car pulling up to a supermarket store front. The store front has the artists name in the title of the shop 'Galantis Pharms' The use of this medium/wide angle shot shows the audience where the video is going to or could take place. The car is a use of product placement where it drives into frame and parks up in the centre of the shot. This grabs the viewers attention and also highlights the fact the car brand is FIAT. This is a use of commercial marketing where the artist is selling the brand through the music video.
Someone then exits the car and proceeds to go into the supermarket. There is a cut to a panning shot of a speaker and then the following of a worker carrying a box. From here the music begins to play from the speaker, showing the audience that the music is now diegetic and can be heard by the characters in the video. This builds up suspense that ties in with the structure of the song itself.
As the bass-line of the song begins and an element of percussion is added and a woman, who is the main protagonist, enters frame ridding roller-skates and sucking on an ice lolly. As she enters, being in time with the music on the beat, it grabs the attention of the audience. The use of the actress is related to ‘adolescent male fantasies’ in which things males would like to see (such as attractive women) are used to grab their attention. The idea that she is sucking on an iced lolly is used in a comedic sexual way to add to the fun and upbeat feeling of the song. This is a familiar stereotype to the Pop genre in more recent times as women are sexualised to make the video 'more interesting'.
The colour scheming of the video is very consistent with the predominate colours being orange and light brown. This connotes feelings of happiness and joy in an autumnal way which is what the song also emulates through its tone and general beats and sound. The colours are presented through a number of ways in the video such as the orange clothing. This can be seen on the workers uniforms and the main protagonists tracksuit perhaps emphasising that everyone in the video is happy whether they have to work or are playing around. Also the food in the supermarket as well as the fruit and the woman's ice lolly are orange too. One contrasting colour that also appears as a predominate one is blue and grey. Blue is considered to be beneficial to the mind and body and symbolise intelligence and loyalty. This adds nice counterbalance to the more vibrant colours of the shop. The blue can bee seen on the name tags, lighting and also one of the man's dressing gown.
As the pace of the video speeds up in correlation with the chorus, the editing of shots becomes much snappier and the shots cut to one another in time with the beat of the music. There is a zoom into each of the shots each time it cuts to a new face. This adds a comedic effect to the video and causes a suspense as to what could happen when the bass drops at the chorus. Here it could be argued too many things are happening at once in the video to truly know what is going on causing an information overload. However, with the controlled use of the camera shots combined with the basic editing in the bridges in the song really grabs the attention of the audience as the style all of a sudden changes to match the pace of the song with quick edits creating this stark contrast which is unexpected.
The man wearing the dressing gown suddenly steps forward as the music breaks into the chorus and has the gown blown off to reveal a striking white latex leotard. The man then begins dancing to the beat of the song, adding another comedy element to the video as it is quite unusual but very eye catching. The audience are more likely to remember and re-watch the music video due to its humorous and memorable moments. Therefore the listeners are more likely to want to share the song and make more people listen to it through social media. This is a form of viral marketing in which the the song is shared around on the internet virally by the audience for free.
As the man continues to dance into the chorus of the song, many of the shoppers appear confused as to dance is or means, adding to the comedic value of the music video. He then approaches 3 customers. Their clothes are blown away revealing similar but differently coloured latex leotards. This along with an uncoordinated dance routine through the 'Galantis Pharms' shop. It is clear to the audience that none of these actors are professional dancers or actors further emphasising the comedy element of the video. Watching people attempting to dance to a very upbeat and fast paced song increases the memorabilia elements of the video, further increasing awareness and viral knowledge of the song, including news outlets. It also becomes relatable to more 'normal' members of the audience by not including flashy models but instead, with regular actors the audience feels more connected to the video.
The woman protagonist is then ridding roller skates as she moves forward in a tracking shot. This emphasises the importance of her as well as how she is used as a provocative character for the younger male audiences. Her importance is also shown how she lip syncs the lyrics of the song. This stands out as she is the only character in the video to do this therefore adding importance to her and making the audience more focused on her and her appearance. She is also the only character in control over when she changes into the flashy latex clothing. This sets her apart from the other characters and shows that she is conscious of what she is doing and that she is a main character in the video.
Galantis - Runaway:
Brief:
The music video for this song is only describable as an juxtaposition. The setting is dark yet well lit and the costume/action is mysteriously vibrant and colourful but dingy at the same time. This continuous juxtaposition within the video presented by the Mis-en-scene is a metaphor for the lyrics "U & I" as seen in the title of the song as well as the chorus within. This conveys a sense of togetherness and oneness between the character shown in the video and the mystery character she is serenading about.
There is a lot of flashing bright lights which can be seen going down roads and street-ways used which is commonly seen in EDM type music videos. There is consistent high key lighting most commonly on the main protagonist's face which has been places on a low light backdrop that really stands out. Especially when the lights are out of focus. The main setting, the club, is a symbol of the fact this song ties in with an EDM/Pop genre and is consistent through other EDM videos also. Due to the nature of the music, it is ironic that the video is held within in a place where the music itself is most likely to be listened to. Often EDM/Pop videos show people who are 'outcasted' and 'unwanted' or have some kind of special talent but are often ignored by 'normal' or 'better' people. The works well for this genre as the music follows the person's journey and when they start to succeed usually the beat drops or the pace becomes faster. It is common that a female protagonist is used in an EDM/Pop music video, as it appeals to the male audience and pop is not always seen as a male orientated genre. The fact that the face of the protagonist is covered by the symbolic Galantis mask is a sign that the artist is trying to stear away from traditions and habits of the genre. The idea that the two main characters are the only people in the video that are wearing these kind of masks, could foreground that the two where meant for each-other in some sort of destiny-like situation.
The lyrics of this song focus on love and running away from a busy lifestyle to be with the the love of your life or soulmate. The lyrics talk about being hurt by love or not being with the person you truly want to be with. The video is shot within a city setting connoting that it is impossible to run away as there is always something going on and thousands of people. The main protagonist wouldn't necessarily know if they had run away due to the maze like streets of the city. The lyrics discuss the finding of a soulmate or lover throughout, with the male and female being alone for most of the video until they find each other and are happy. The lyrics 'runaway' are key to showing off the frustration in the characters emotional state and is in some ways relatable in the real world.
The music becomes extremely fast paced when the masked woman (main protagonist) goes out into the city as she is coming closer and closer to meeting the one who she will want to be with and therefore end her isolation. Due to the tempo and beat style of EDM/dance music, the rhythm is never really monotone. However, the beat is much slower when the female is pictured on her own looking out at the city but not actually being able to escape and reach out to it. As soon as both characters enter the club scene the tempo of the beats becomes increasingly fast as part of the slow build in melody which is long, emphasising their excitement as they both dance together.
There are no main scenes or closeups of the artists but they are both shown performing at the club as they would in real life whilst close-ups of the 2 main characters are taken. The face of the characters masks are also shown on the back of the artists jackets as if the artist is always with you through tough situations. This is also a source of branding as their famous cat-like mask if a part of their image and identity. The title of the song 'Runaway' is also showcased in the music video on a screen in the club whilst the artists are performing the track. However the audience does not know that the artists are really shown unless they know what they look like.
The video has a familiar charm about it. The idea of it being a reference to traditional nursery rhymes, finding that one true love who is to be with you forever and ever. The video seems as though it is showcasing the princess finding her prince charming. This could perhaps be a reference to the likes of Shrek where the princess is held captive in the tower and the unlikely prince comes in to save the day and they love and live happily ever after. In addition, much like Cinderella who was an outcast from society but longed to make something of herself, become someone and fall in love, the female protagonist of this music video has much the same wishes. She does not want to be ignored by those in a busy social world who could potentially be her one true love and wants to explore herself as well as others and the world around it instead of being held captive by pressures. The city location that has been used in the video has been shown in many TV programmes, films and videos so is a very mainstream form of advertising the story behind the music video.
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