Representation of region/place (in house/dance genre)

1. Region/place
Wake Me Up –
Avicci
(House/Dance)
By Beth Hitchen

2. Who/what is being
represented?
 In this music video the sense of being lost and not belonging is
the subject matter which is represented. This is represented
through the audience following the journey of two sisters, a
young one and an older one throughout the music video.
 The audience are first shown the girls as not belonging and
being lost, the journey the girls go on is to find themselves and
to find true happiness.
 It could be said that this music video is using the young females
to represent that the young generation don’t find it easy to fit
into places and that they feel as though they are lost and don’t
belong in the place that they are at that stage in their lives, it
could also link in with society being judgemental.
 In my opinion I think that the music video is also using the girls to
represent the fact that the younger generation, especially
females, find it hard to fit in and to be comfortable in their own
skin.

3. How are they represented?
 The sisters in who are followed in this music video are firstly
represented as the odd ones out and as young people who don’t
fit in as they don’t fit the ‘normal’ of this close community town
which they are shown at in the start of the music video.
 The fact that the two sisters are feeling alone and as though that
they don’t fit in with any of the other people in the town is
represented through the use of the dialogue that is shared
between the sisters.
 Another way that that the loneliness of the sisters is represented is
by the fact the audience are shown a tattoo that both the sisters
have on the tops of their arms, due to the fact that the none of the
other people in the town at the start of the video are shown to the
audience with this tattoo it can be assumed right from the start of
the music video that the two sisters are different from the rest of the
people, this highlights the difference between the sisters and the
setting.
 As the music video goes on we follow the sisters on a journey to find
a place with more people like them, this happens to be a concert
with Avicii playing and thousands of other teenagers like the sisters
are seen at this music event, this represents to the audience that
the sisters are no longer lost and have found the place where they
fit in with everyone else. This was seen clearly though a location
change.

4. Analysing the mise-en-scene
 The mise-en-scene which is used throughout this
music video is vital to the audience to know what
is being represented…
 Firstly the sisters are shown with the same tattoo at
the start of the music video which allows the
audience to know that they are different from the
other people in the town
 Also, the audience are shown through the use of
the mise-en-scene the rural nature of the town
that the sisters are first in.
 At the end of the music video the mise-en-scene is
also key as it is vital for the audience to see that
the sisters find more people with the same tattoo
allowing the audience to understand that the girls
have found where they belong and fit in.
The sisters matching
tattoos.

5. Analysing the camera work
 The camera work used in this music video is so important, this is
because of the nature of the music video as it is a mostly narrative
based video which means that for the audience to understand it
and make a connection with the storyline the camera angles need
to reflect on what is being represented otherwise the audience
wont understand what is happening and may turn it off due to this.
 Close up shots are used often in this music video to show little
details, for example, the sisters matching tattoos which were
mentioned earlier but they are also used to show the audience the
expressions on the young girls faces. This is important because it
means the audience are able to tell what the sisters are
representing and how they feel about their situation of not
belonging and feeling lost.
 A few establishing shots are also used throughout this music video,
this is because the music video is following the sisters along their
journey to find the place where they fit in with the other people
and so as the video follows the sisters, establishing shots were
needed to allow the audience to know what stage the girls are at
along their journey to find themselves or perhaps, as I mentioned
before, true happiness.
This is one of the
establishing shots used.

6. Why does it conform to a
stereotype?
 Some teenagers are stereotyped as thinking that
they’re alone and that everyone is against them
so in this music video the older sister who feels as
though everyone in the close community don’t
see eye-to-eye with the two sisters would be a
stereotype in which this music video conforms to.
 It could be seen that this music video also
conforms to a current stereotype which is that
teenagers are seen to be ‘party animals’ and that
all they want to do is party all day everyday, due
to the fact the sisters end up at a music
festival/Avicii concert this would possibly be seen
as conforming with this stereotype.

7. Does it challenge or subvert
stereotypes?
 Although it isn’t an obvious stereotype, in my
opinion, one way in which this music video
challenges a stereotype is through the females
(who are used in the video to represent the young
generation) are shown along their journey to find
themselves. This is different to how some people
stereotypically see teenagers in the sense that it is
said that all teenagers aren't independent and
that they need everything handing to them on a
plate so when the sisters make it their responsibility
to find themselves happiness by fitting in this
contradicts the stereotype.