2. Andrew Goodwin: 7 Key areas to
identify
1 Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in
metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
2 There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with
images. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
3 There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the
visual reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
4 The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist
and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
5 There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors,
stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6 The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual
style)
7 There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos
etc).
3. Aiden Grimshaw: Virtually Married
Aiden Samuel Grimshaw (born 4
December 1991), also known
simply as Aiden, is an English
singer, songwriter and actor. He
successfully made it to the live
shows and finished ninth in the
seventh series of The X Factor in
2010. After his elimination,
Grimshaw was signed by RCA
Records.
On 3 June 2012, he released his
debut single "Is This Love", which
debuted at number 35 on the Uk
Singles Chart. His debut album
Misty Eye was released on 20
August 2012 and reached number
19 on the UK Albums Chart.
After a year long absence from Music following the
Aiden EP, Grimshaw uploaded an image to his
Twitter page with the caption 'New Music’,On 30
July 2015, he unveiled a new track called Virtually
Married under his original name of Aiden
Grimshaw.The track was written by Grimshaw,
Dan Dare, Paul Harris & MEMEB, the latter was
also producer of the track, Virtually Married was
met with positive reviews from fans and many of
them believe that this is Grimshaws 'come back'
track. The song tells a story of the lead singer
chasing after a girl he is into. The entire video is a
lyric video meaning that every lyric is displayed in
time with the music so the audience know what
the song is going to say before it is even said.
4. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos,
dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
Andrew Goodwin’s theory indeed states that each genre of music video state the same characteristics, Aiden Grimshaw’s Virtually
married is a sort of Indi-dance song, here are some examples of features of this song that conform to its genre characteristics. The
genre characteristics for this sort of music video is a very slow calm video with not a lot going on plot wise, the odd exception being
songs such as Duke Dumont's “I got U”. The colour scheme will be very dark is and the shots will be very edgy and aesthetically
pleasing. Often telling a short story just through a few well placed and timed shots.
A key convention of Indie dance music videos are
that of the use of clever shots that often show
completely different shots then you are used to
seeing in common pop videos. This is done to
reflect the individual nature of the song and
therefore showing its massive difference to the so
called “norm” in which the audience will rebel away
from.
Here are two examples taken from
the music video
Another key convention is the way that the video is edited, in this
video there is not a single special effect cut its very short and abrupt,
this is common in the indie genre for dance music. As it is mostly fast
paced are trying to different to the big pop songs.
Here is an example of two screenshots taken in the clip, the top
of which then cuts to the bottom, nothing fancy but follows
genre characteristics
5. Also another genre characteristic shown in the video is used
through the use of colour scheme. During this music video the
colours used don't change massively as they use dark bland
colours then contrasting with the colour of the lyric helping the lyrics
to be highlight using the use of contrast. This is different to many
music videos meaning it sticks to the genre conventions of trying to
be different. Also the use of certain colours helps also to create a
mood and effect to the audience, the colour used in the music video
helps the audience the relax and enjoy the visual experience of the
well placed shots within relation to the good music.
Finally the last convention that i see
displayed in this music video which links
it directly is obtained through the use of
setting and also costume. This helps to
add again a vibe that relates to the
music. The setting used is very pictures
and good for framing nice shots but also
shows the characters strong bond as
they are shown to be living all in the
same house, this paints the convention
of this band sort of against the world as
they are all sticking together against all
of the mainstream media music. Also the
costumes used are very indie clothing
that will be seen as very trendy, also the
haircuts. This helps the audience to
relate to this music video as they either
aspire to be like this brand or dress
similarly. This all fits the genre
conventions.
6. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting)
Aiden Grimshaw’s lyrics paint a picture of a man who is chasing a women, and not being very successful. The music
video itself doesn't paint too much off a narrative compared to other videos such as Coldplay’s “paradise”. But it does
indeed hold some subtle links to the lyrics. An example of which being the final shot in the whole music video showing
that girl finally replying to his text. Here is the example. But just because the narrative of the lyrics isn't 100% linked in
the video it doesn't mean that the lyrics on a whole also don't link with the video. this is not the case. The lyrics in my
opinion link very well with the video. This is because they create the same vibe making them work hand in hand. This
is helped massively through the use of displaying the lyrics primarily. But also because of the shots illustrative nature.
This being apparent as it the shots show the main singer to be not too fussed about life in general through his actions,
highlighted through special effects such as slow motion.
The last shot in the music video Coldplay paradise
7. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual
reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
The way that the video is edited suggests that the music does
indeed form a relationship with the visuals. This is because
as the music changes mood or pace so does the cutting
speed. But it sticks to the rule of still only using cross cuts in
order to maintain genre convention. The visuals also at the
beginning of the video suit the start of the song as the music
and lyrics talk about the way that the characters are on bit of
a come down and a reality check. So the visuals show them
lumbering around in their apartment.
The visuals also show a very strong
relationship with the music as the music is
produced by Aiden Grimshaw and he is
definitely the key focus of the whole video
as the visuals are 90% of the time focused
on him and his actions. The visuals portray
him as the male counterpart in the narrative
of the music. Again showing the audience
that he is the singer and possibly
songwriter, making him the only focus of the
video with a few features of his ‘mates’ in
the narrative. Visuals of Aiden Grimshaw
Early featured shots in the video
8. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and
the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
As this is one of few songs produced by Aiden Grimshaw his producer/record label will use his music videos in order for
him to form his own unique style and brand in order for him to gain more of a following. This is done through the use of
his costume and also his general appearance in his videos. You can see clearly that when directing this music video the
producers/record label have thought about developing his motifs. They have done this sheerly through the amount of
close ups used showing his facial appearance through close ups. Also medium shots that show off his fashion. The
whole music video from start to finish follows the story of Aiden showing who he associates with and the way he lives.
This is all used to develop motifs and is orchestrated by not only the artist but indeed the prouder and or record labels
Close ups used in his music video Medium shots in his video
The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual style)
As i have said when looking in depth on other areas,
Aiden Grimshaw is a fairly new comer on the scene
so will be trying to create his own brand image as
quickly and effectively as possible to help grow a
fanbase. This will be achieved through the way he is
portrayed in his music videos. As this is one of a few
videos he has featured in the artist is still developing
his motifs and his iconography to assert into his
future projects. This video is helping to assert this at
the video doesn't feature massive special effects
and is mostly filmed by the artist themselves. Very
amateur but effective.
9. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages,
etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc).
In this music video I cannot see any clear intertextual references from other areas of the media, this is maybe done on
purpose to again relay the idea that this artist doesn't follow mainstream conventions and only follows the conventions
of his given genre. An example of of an intertextual reference can be found within Katy Perry’s song “thinking of you” in
which the music video is basically telling the same narrative of that of “Dear John” a popular of film. This is shown as
both male characters in the video and also the film are shown to be leaving their female counterpart to join the army.
Effects such as this are used in order to gain wider audience as people who like this film are more likely to enjoy the
music video therefore the music itself.
This is shown in Aiden Grimshaw’s
music video as a lot of the shots show
the notion of looking but not in the way
you'd assume. It shows it through
Aiden looking at himself through
mirrors and car window reflections.
There is no voyeuristic treatment of
the female body is this song as the
genre is less mainstream and this
normally features most prominently in
that genre rather than this one.
Examples taken from the music video
Shots from Katy Perry’s “thinking of you” music video and “Dear John”
10. Reception Due to the music video following Andrew
Goodwin's theories on what to include and
how to go about creating their video. They
gained recognition from the fans as the
audience, shown in these YouTube
comments, enjoyed the video.
11. Vance Joy: Mess is Mine
James Gabriel Keogh (born
1 December 1987), better
known as Vance Joy, is an
Australian singer-
songwriter. He signed a
five-album deal with
Atlantic Records in 2013.
He released his debut EP
God Loves You When
You're Dancing in March
2013.
His song "Riptide" was voted number 1 on the 2013 Triple J
Hottest 100. Joy released his debut studio album Dream Your
Life Away on 5 September 2014 in Australia and on 9
September 2014 elsewhere.At the ARIA Music Awards of 2015
he won Best Male Artist. July 2014, he released "Mess Is Mine"
as the third overall single from the album, and the song peaked
at number 37 in Australia.
12. The video tells the tragicomic story of a hapless polar bear exiled
from his ice floe (presumably by global warming), who swims to a
nearby city where he wanders through seedy neighbourhoods full
of degenerate humans. Luckily (and however improbably) he
happens across an abandoned car, manages to teach himself to
drive, and starts his own taxi service. Unluckily (however
probably) he seems to pick up all the worst customers and a
veritable procession of vice proceeds through his vehicle.
Prostitutes, drunkards, and various types of deranged people all
leave the detritus of sin in his car. In a very visceral way their
mess becomes his. The weirdness, however, is a language of
modern metaphor. The polar bear is a symbol of wronged
innocence. In addition to being purely white, he has done nothing
to deserve losing his pristine home. He is the blameless refugee
trying to make the best of a bad situation. The car is another
modern metaphor. Lamentably perhaps, in America the car is an
extension of the self. It is an expression of one’s identity. The
defilement of our bear’s car is an offense against himself, a
degradation of his dignity. Additionally, cars enable a type of
intimacy. Passengers in a car share an experience as they travel
together to the same destination, united in physical space.
However casual and common, it is a communion. A taxi driver
invites strangers into this personal space in an infamously
vulnerable way. In this case we have the innocent and vulnerable
one allowing a succession of grossly disordered people to enter
his personal space. They use what he has to offer them while
offering nothing in return but a deposit of mess. Rather than a
beautiful picture of intimacy, of what it means to give and receive
according to one’s essential design, our bear is a picture of what
it is to have “communion” with a series of unworthy people who
can only hop aboard for a quick ride. Despite the impermanence
of the relationship they leave their mark on our lives. It may not be
vomit or urine, a broken window or graffiti, but still “your mess is
mine.”
13. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos,
dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
Vance Joy’s “Mess is mine” is of that of indie pop genre. Therefore the conventions that I am looking out for include a
number of different areas. Settings, Indie Pop music videos are known to be lowbudget. Main settings are in: studios,
cities, parks, woods etc. These locations create mysteries which makes the audience focus more on the performance.
Performance, Most Indie Pop music videos includes a live performance from the artist which makes the audience focus
on the talent the artist has. It makes their career about their passion for music rather than success Live performances
promote the artist/s too. This enables audiences to see the atmosphere the artist creates in their concerts encouraging
the public to watch the artist/s live. Performance is often partnered with a narrative to break up the music video thus,
creating the music video memorable. Narrative, A narrative is used to tell a story by using a sequence of images and
videos related to the song; not literal, but still enables the audience to understand why it was given that certain narrative
which links with song (Goodwin‟s Theory of Illustration and Amplification). As technology advances, music video
directors are able to create a variation of storytelling created by special effects making the video a lot more interesting
for the audience and keeps them engaged in the music video as the scenes are always changing. This can also help
gain success and status of the song, artist/s and directors.
Vance Joy’s music video fits the genre
conventions set for settings as the video
is shot all outdoors and features many
different public places. They have done
this to make the narrative feel a lot more
believable also as it would fit the genre
convention. Also it fits to the genre
conventions when relating to the
narrative. The video tells a story of a
lonely polar bear who has been forced
away from his habitat due to global
warming and he ends in the big city, this
isn't told at all through the music or lyrics
but thoroughly using different shots.
It doesn't follow the genre
convention of having any feature of
a live performance as the music
video concentrates sole on telling
the narrative. It doesn't even feature
a visual image of the artists at all.
This doesn't follow the genre
conventions and indie pop artists
are mostly trying to break on too the
mainstream market and they do this
by creating their own image. They
wouldn't of been able to achieve this
as they don't physically feature in
this video
14. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting)
Vance joy’s “Mess is mine” lyrics:
Talking like we used to do
It was always me and you
Shaping up and shipping out
Check me in and check me out
Do you like walking in the rain?
When you think of love, do you think of pain?
You can tell me what you see
I will choose what I believe
Hold on, darling
This body is yours,
This body is yours and mine
Well hold on, my darling
This mess was yours,
Now your mess is mine
Your mess is mine
See you in the marketplace
Walking 'round at 8am
Got 2 hours before my flight
Luck be on my side tonight
You're the reason that I feel so strong
The reason that I'm hanging on
You know you gave me all the time
Oh, did I give enough of mine?
Hold on, darling
This body is yours,
This body is yours and mine
Well hold on, my darling
This mess was yours,
Now your mess is mine
Bring me to your house
Tell me sorry for the mess
Hey, I don't mind
You're talking in your sleep
Out of time
Well, you still make sense to me
Your mess is mine
Your mess is mine
This body's yours and this body's mine
Your mess is mine
The visuals used in Vance Joys video are very illustrative and are very effective when
promoting the narrative. This is apparent as after i had seen the video for the first time i
already knew the gist of the narrative and could understand the visuals. I do not believe
that these lyrics (talking about an ex partner and reminiscing on the good times they
had) has much to do at all with the visuals and the relation to narrative being told
through these visuals. Maybe the idea is that the partner being the polar bear and
thinking about his old home and he wants to get back his home being the guys ex
partner in the lyrics.
15. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual
reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting)
The tone of the music and the atmosphere that the image reflects are
very similar and indeed possess a relationship. The music is very slow
paced this is matched by the small amount of action in the visuals and
also in the editing speeds. And also the videos visuals do not use any
special effects or filters its very basic in that sense. This has a positive
affect on the audience as this basic editing fits with the basic song lyrics.
Making it more pleasurable to watch a video where as which the music
fits to the tone through many different ways.
Also the exact shots used are very good at elaborating on the
narrative as they show this polar bear looking rough and beaten
up emotionally at the same time that the music hits that kind of
tone, again helping the visuals fit the music.
Examples of polar bear emotion in visuals
16. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the
artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
During the video the lead singer features in a few
cameo scenes. Nearer to the beginning he features
as the polar bear looks into the waters reflection and
sees back the lead singer with a guitar lip syncing the
song. And also near to the end when the polar bear
becomes a taxi driver, the lead singer again features
in his rear view mirror. This doesn't 100% actually fit
the narrative very well as it doesn't make much logical
sense. This will be the work of the record label trying
to help build Vance’s name. He does this through
cameo performances in his videos the majority of
which being close ups.
Examples of Vance’s cameo appearances
Vance also does similar things in other music videos helping to
develop motifs.His other most popular song being riptide was very
similar in its music video as it was very contemporary and bit more
upbeat compare to “mess is mine”. This song also features the odd
cameo appearance, something that the fans look forward too.
Shot from Vance Joy’s “Riptide”
17. The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual style)
As I touched upon when answering the last point, Vance
joy’s work is very contemporary and very different to the
mainstream as shown through his music video for his first
big hit riptide. This video used very weird shots and sort of
told a narrative but at the same time sort of didn't. This is
what his focused audience enjoy. Something different from
the norm. I believe that this is Vance’s iconography and
visual style. He likes to be different even from music in the
same genre. This is conveyed again through his music
video for “Mess is mine” as this idea for a music video has
only really been touched upon in coldplays “paradise video”
but Vance’s is more of adult version. If an artists
successfully creates a marketable visual style such as that
of vance’s it will ultimately boost their popularity and help
them to establish a mean audience.
18. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages,
etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc).
This notion is clearly used throughout the “Mess is
mine” video. but mostly, again like the previous
video, used through reflections as shown here.
Also in this video there is a brief encounter with voyeuristic treatment of women as in one of the scenes when the polar
bear is a taxi driver in the back a woman is being objectified by a male and she is portrayed as a sex object. This is
done commonly in music videos that are more mainstream. Artists such as Rhianna and Nicki Minaj are portrayed in
this way and that is a big some of their overall marketing, pure sex appeal.
The only major intertextual reference in this video is that off cold
plays paradise which i have mentioned in other areas of my 3
music video analysis. it portrays an elephant lost and trying to
escape the city to go back to “home” being back in the wild. This is
a similar plot to that of the video Vance has created. They are
similar in many ways as both show a person dressed in an animal
costume and both struggling in the city. Showing the audience that
the artists (represented through the animals) are also outcasts, this
is more so in Vance’s case. This is a very clever video idea as it
can be used for its comedic values aswell as its deep emotional
and metaphorical meanings. Example of the comedic side is when
the polar bear has it own taxi rank and also when it goes ice skating
just to lay back on the ice symbolising him missing his home.
19. Reception
Due to the music video following Andrew
Goodwin's theories on what to include
and how to go about creating their
video. They gained recognition from the
fans as the audience, shown in these
YouTube comments, enjoyed the video.
20. Imagine Dragons: I’m On Top Of The World
"On Top of the World" is a
song written, recorded by
American rock band Imagine
Dragons for their major-label
debut extended play Continued
Silence, where it appears as
the third track. The song also
appears on their debut studio
album Night Visions as the fifth
track. "On Top of the World"
was released digitally as a
single on March 18, 2013.
Imagine Dragons is an American rock band originating from Las Vegas, Nevada and consisting
of lead vocalist Dan Reynolds, lead guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee, and drummer
Daniel Platzman. The band gained exposure following the release of their debut studio album,
Night Visions (2012) and first single "It's Time". According to Billboard, Imagine Dragons topped
the year-end rock rankings for 2013; Billboard named them "The Breakthrough Band of 2013",
21. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos,
dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
In the music video created by Imagine Dragons there are
many different ways that the director uses Andrews theory
that it uses many of the same characteristics from similar
genre’s. These are which used through the stage
performance and also the narrative used is very diverse and
not as clear as a pop narrative would be (love story). A lot of
hidden meanings are used in the plot of this narrative also,
including the Beatles and the conspiracy theory that the
Americans were indeed not the first on the moon. This is
common within this genre as the audience craves something
different from the mainstream. Therefore by imagine
dragons doing this they please and gain an audience within
their genre.
There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics
are represented with images. (either illustrative, amplifying,
contradicting).
The lyrics in the chorus talk about being on top of the world and the video tells the story
of 4 completely different characters all saying goodbye to the families and supposedly
going to the moon. This is a direct reference to the chorus talks about being on top of
the world. And is indeed a metaphor. This means that the lyrics are indeed represented
with the images used in the music video. This type of video is actually a narrative but
also slightly contradictive. This is because the song goes on about being on top of the
world so to speak but the 4 characters (who are actually the band members playing as
the Beatles) never actually reach the moon they infact create a fake moon landing that
is filmed in a studio, the president (Nixon) is also there. Meaning that they never
legitimately touch “the top of the world” that is spoken about in the lyrics. The director
has done again to please the audience and also it fits the genre characteristics of indie
music videos as they are often contradicting. As this is different from the mainstream.
22. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual
reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
This Music Video created by
Imagine Dragons as a strong
relationship between the visuals
and also the music. The vibe off the
whole song is very chilled out and
positive. This is followed by the
visuals as everything is very
positive. An example of this being
the come down of the song. This is
when the whole dancing sequence
comes into tuition and the whole
room are shown to be happily
dancing to the music. The tone and
the astrosphere of the video is
made to match the music as it its
and offers the audience pleasure
as it reflects this happy, joyous
emotion onto the. This is a common
theme in all f the imagine dragons
video. A popular example which
being their popular single
“Demons”. This song tells the story
off every bodies inner anger. This
kind of vibe is matched by a
performance o the band showing
the reaction of the audience who ae
madly dancing to their use. These
videos help to developed the
imagine dragons iconography
which I shall talk about in the next
segment in further detail.
Shots from demons
Dancing scene from “I'm on top of the world
23. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may
develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc)
and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
During the imagine dragons video there is a lot of
close ups as the characters are used as part of the
narrative. All 4 band members each play a member of
the Beatles. They all have their own segment showing
them saying good bye to their families before
supposedly going to the moon. This offers a lot of
screen time for the actual band and also at the end
they add an element of performance. This has done
this way as it adds comedy to the fans as they will find
it pleasurable to see them acting in such a manor.
Also it helps to gain success through recognition for
the song. This is caused through the demands of the
record label but in this case it does really fit the
narrative of the song.
This theology by Andrew Goodwin refers to the idea that there is
a frequent notion of somebody looking or being looked at. This is
used commonly in music video. A good example of this is in
Taylor Swifts “Blank space video”. The only feature of this notion
is maybe loosely found when each character has their own bit and
they are shown to be getting ready to leave and they all are
positioned in the same close up and they all stare into the camera
as if they are looking at the audience (as shown in the image
above). Also a stage is used nearer the end as the live
performance is used.
Taylor swift “blank space” example
24. The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual style)
Imagine dragons are one of the best at creating
this, they have developed their own unique
iconography and visual style in their music
videos. They are quite famously very good
music videos that explore deeper meanings sort
of similar to the work of Vance joy. One of my
favourite videos of theirs is on their song
“Radioactive”;
A music critic from MTV wrote this.. "We read
through a ton of scripts from really talented
directors, and we came across one that stood
out to us in particular, because it put into visuals
the general theme of the song, which is kind of
an empowering song about an awakening, but it
did it in a way that was very different," frontman
Dan Reynolds told MTV News. "A lot of people
probably see a post-apocalyptic world when they
hear 'Radioactive,' understandably, but they
wanted to deliver something that was maybe a
little different from that ... a lot different from
that."
Different indeed. The Dragons shot the clip in
Upstate New York, just before Hurricane Sandy
swept through to the south — "It's sinister out,"
Reynolds said, "which is fitting for the video" —
and though, on set, things were getting plenty
dark, the song still managed to shine through ...
mostly because, despite all its doomy trappings,
it is first and foremost an anthem of
empowerment. Radioactive" video features
gratuitous puppet-on-puppet violence, ominous
Old World scenery and, uh, Lou Diamond
Phillips ... none of which have anything to do
with the song itself, but all of which automatically
make it one of the oddest clips of the year.
Which was exactly what the band was going for”.
Shots from Radioactive
Following this sort of style for their video for “On Top Of The World”. They ironically
use the stereotypical idea of being on top of the world as pretending to be on the
moon Similar to the way they used the title of radioactive and took bits from this
would but didn’t make it as everyone would’ve expected, post apocalyptic. This again
is the bands iconography and will help them to create a greater fan base.
Shot from I’m on top of the world
25. There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos
etc).
This music video is very successful in creating a load of intertextual references. As a part of the Palladia documentary Imagine Dragons: The
Making of Night Visions, which originally aired on November 7, 2012, the band filmed a video of themselves performing "On Top of the World"
and subsequently uploaded it to YouTube.
On November 13, 2013 the band released an official music video for the song. The video satirizes a popular conspiracy theory that the 1969
Moon landings were faked, the footage having been directed by Stanley Kubrick, and that Kubrick then made references to the fakery in various
of his subsequent films. In the video, a rock band similar to the Beatles (played by the members of Imagine Dragons) pretend to be astronauts
for the faked moon landing. The taping goes awry as fans of the band stream into the sound stage and turn the event into a rock concert, much
to the chagrin of Kubrick and President Richard Nixon, who is also on hand; the crowd might be discovering by being there, that the landings
were fake or just be happy to be at the concert. The people at home might be agreeing now that the conspiracies were real, though just how
many people are aware or not is not exactly shown. The video also briefly references another popular conspiracy theory from around the same
time, that Beatles member Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike.
The video was filmed in Provo, Utah, Imagine Dragons' original hometown, and includes cameos from various celebrities associated with Provo
or Brigham Young University, including Jon Heder, the cast of the TV show Studio C, guitarist Robbie Connolly, and members of The New
Electric Sound. Whit Hertford plays Kubrick, and singer Aja Volkman, Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds' wife, appears as Reynolds'
character's wife.
26. Reception Due to the music video following
Andrew Goodwin's theories on
what to include and how to go
about creating their video. They
gained recognition from the fans
as the audience, shown in these
YouTube comments, enjoyed the
video.
Also in the comments the
audience noticed all the
Easter eggs showing that it
also pleased them seeing
these subtle references
