Analysis of a Rock Video 2

Arctic Monkeys - I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor

Arctic Monkeys' 'I bet that You Look Good on the Dancefloor' music video promoted the release of the band's first single release following their signing to 'Domino Records'.

The video itself is set in a small studio and whilst being watched by a small audience - both film and audio were recorded live. The footage was shot on a 1970's television shouldercam which makes the video appear aged in comparison to other music videos of the time (2005). This technique worked successfully with the 'indie-rock' style of Arctic Monkeys which the band helped to revive since it's metaphorical 'death' in chart music since Oasis, Blur and the long list of 90s Brit-Pop/Indie bands. Using the 70s camera and a live recording of the song rather than a studio version makes the video unique and edgy which fits in with the indie-rock genre and the band itself; Arctic Monkeys often tend to distance themselves from the 'glitz and glamour' of the music business, they're rarely associated with the celebrity lifestyle, paparazzi, glossy magazines and tabloids but instead are purely known for their careers as musicians. Further to this, costume is highly casual for a music video and also noticeably dull colours are worn which again matches the casual and supposedly 'effortlessly cool' essence of the band (as pictured below).

The top image depicts the typical style of 'Arctic Monkeys' in comparison to similar indie rock band 'Two Door Cinema Club' who despite in keeping with a similar sense of style (blazers, jeans, parkas etc) appear much more bright and colourful due to both outfit choice and editing. The camera movement is somewhat fluent however in true shouldercam style, the frame does move naturally and adds to the 'effortless' style of the band. The editing for the most part sticks to basic cuts apart from a title at the beginning of the video in a 70s style font.

All of these components make Arctic Monkeys come across as amateur, raw talent which works well in a promotional format as it taps in well with the genre and therefore target demographic.