Pumped Up Kicks
- Foster the People
Brief Introduction
Pumped up kicks is an indie rock song released by the american indie band Foster the People. It was their debut single and was released in September 2010 with a music video which is mixture of both Narrative and Performance. I have decided to analyse this video because not only is it in the style of my chosen genre 'Indie Rock', but also it has a very interesting video which has many features which would be helpful to analyse that I can therefore apply to my groups own video. To ensure I can match the right conventions of the Indie Rock genre.
ANALYSIS
Soundtrack
Whilst analysing the music video Pumped Up Kicks I noticed that there were many aspects of the text which are considered conventional with the micro-element soundtrack. For example, when looking at diagetic sound, you can hear that at the beginning of the music video before the score begins there are noises made my people as a result of them being impressed by a man swinging into a river. Then as soon as he hits the water, the score begins and all diagetic sound is muted for the rest of the music video. This use of diagetic sound at the beginning of the video is to grab the audiences attention as it lets them know the information is important. The sound of laughter and excited sets the tone of the narrative and effectively gives the audience an incited to what the music video will be like throughout (relaxed + upbeat). The method in which the diagetic sound is used this video is conventional. Another element of soundtrack featured within this music video is Tempo. The tempo of the music video is quite fast paced and when looking at the Indie/Rock genre as a whole i would argue that fast paced score is conventional, the reason that fast paced tempo is used within this genre is because this style of music aims to get the audience dancing and singing along, if the tempo was quite slow the audience would not be as inclined to get involved in the song so this fast pace also allows the audience to become closer with the song and connect on a different level resulting in them enjoying it more. This allows the artist to sell more singles as the audience enjoys it so much. As well as diagetic sound and tempo, Score and lyrics are also present. When looking at the score and lyrics you can see that they do not match as the score itself has a major key which connotes happy upbeat vibes whereas when you listen to the content of the lyrics, lines such as "better run, out run my gun" and "faster than my bullet". These lyrics are referring to the increasing levels of school shootings the USA suffered a few years a go. This is a very sensitive and distressing subject that does not match the upbeat happy mayor key of the score. This mismatch as well as the lyrics deeper meaning are very controversial which is what indie artists aim to achieve, to be unconventional to the norms of other music genres. Therefore, the score and lyrics within Pumped Up Kicks is conventional for its genre. After analysing all these elements of soundtrack in Pumped Up Kicks I can start to apply these to my own piece to help achieve a conventional video of my own.
Mise En Scene
Editing
There are many different aspects of editing in the indie rock genre that are considered conventional. For example, one element of editing is Quick Cuts. Fast paced cuts are used in the genre for the same reason that a fast paced tempo is used. It helps create a light, energetic atmosphere which really helps the audience get involved with the music video and make them feel like they are a part of it. As a result of this the audience can connect with the song and band on a deeper level than just their music, much like with the use of Two-shots in camerawork, however in this case it is because they get to physically participate in the music - most likely through dancing. Pumped Up Kicks understands this and as a result uses this technique to their advantage as well as to fit the conventions of the genre. I believe it would be useful for our group to use this technique also in our own piece to help the audience connect more and overall enjoy it more. As well as quick cuts, slow motion is also used in the Pumped Up Kicks music video, this is also considered conventional as the slow motion can be used to highlight the importance of each of the Pumped Up Kicks music video. As well as this it also highlights the skill of each individual band member, this is conventional for the genre as in both indie and rock the bands main focus is to show their talent off, and slow motion helps them do this. As a group, myself and my group can definitely consider using slow motion as an editing technique as it can be, as proven by Foster The People, a very effective technique to use. One final technique in which I found present in the Pumped Up Kicks music is the use of filters, more specifically a filter which resembles an old film reel which can be more interesting for the audience to watch. This happens at the very start of the music video 'Pumped Up Kicks' so foster the people have used this technique to grab the initial attention of the audience and then they use their music to maintain the interest of the audience. This is also a very effective method to use and my group and I could definitely use it to appeal to our audience and meet the conventions of the genre.