Florence & the machine - Rabbit heart - video analysis
The rabbit heart music video featuring florence and the machine is interesting and intertextual packed, throughout the video there are shots and lyrics and can be interpreted in many ways by the audience and suggests many meanings not only the meaning of the song but to current event in her personal life. By using Goodwins theory i will try to deconstruct how the music video conforms and follows the theory.
The first shot immediately introduces the artist to us through the use of a close up of her mouth. This links to one of the aspects of Goodwins theory of star image and the idea that frequent close ups of the artist are important as it builds their brand & identity for the audiences viewing. However the veil that covers her face at 0.03 could link to lyrics and visuals as it shows the relationship between lyrics and what is shown on screen, the lyrics ‘the looking glass so shiny and new’ could relate to even through the veil there is glitz and shimmer from the sequins/gems there is still parts you can see through to where you see reality/truth, this could be illustrating her thoughts on the music business or the whole ‘pop star image’ and how it looks fabulous and amazing from the outside but when you can really see you begin to see past the fancy things and see the truth which may not be what people hoped for prior. Additionally the lyric; ‘how quickly the glamour fades’ could be amplifying the same thing and showing the idea of how reality can precede glamour and what is attractive to us. The shot could also be referring to the fact the veil was the only item that didn't fit with the feel/style of the video and was the only thing going against florence's pre-raphaelite vibe. This gives the audience the chance to piece together ideas and the fact that through this music video florence could be showing us how she wants to rebel against the stereotypes of being a pop star and be her true authentic self.
On the other hand close ups in the viro allow the audience to deconstruct elements such as the costume worn by florence e.g she is seen wearing triangle earrings, triangles being a common symbol of feminine dominance and empowerment therefore enhancing florence's star image as a strong independent feminist idol.
Throughout the video we can see how it conforms to common genre conventions. Florence being an indie pop artist we are aware of her interest in nature and the natural elements of life which are frequent in the video. The video consists of many rural features than commercial aspects of the music industry which are mostly non-existent. The location (Panshill park) exaggerates the fact that florence originally wanted to be a country singer therefore this location gives off completely indie vibes and a raw aura which are true to florence and her style. Likewise the opening scene shows waves of the sea being superimposed over the image of florence, this could be linking with the indie genre as well as suggesting that the nature is a part of her and that there is a strong connection between florence, her music and nature.
In addition to this, florence presents very little voyeurism during the music video, this could be because it doesn't necessarily appeal to her target audience, these being young females that may look up to florence as a role model and less so men who could be watching s they are looking for the thrill of seeing something they shouldn't.however the thrill of direct eye contact could be something to talk about as it isn't necessarily sexual but can be defined as many diffrent things. Florence mainly focuses on female empowerment within her music and attempts and achieves to convey an extremely powerful image not only for herself but women who can relate. In some senses florence can be seen to be rejecting the social constructs of female beauty and femininity. The most voyeuristic moment within the music video is when florence is laying down on a table whilst other characters prance around her like some sort of celebration, like an offering to a god of some sort, this scene could also be perceived as some sort of symbol of a bed with a sheet beholding her. This could be seen as suggestive and sexual through body language and less so through costume. However this takes a sinister turn as the bed like table is now turned into a coffin as the sides are raised and florence stays put. This could suggest a sacrifice or offering like i have mentioned that involve florence which could be a link to Goodwin’s theory and how lyrics and visuals are intertwined as she makes a biblical reference in her song ‘who is the lamb, who is the knife’ referring to the sacrifice within the bible by isaac, after reading into the meaning behind the song, florence wrote the song as a response to her record label forcing her to make more upbeat songs due to her album being ballad based, this is her questioning what she must sacrifice to keep doing what she loves and what she is allowing for herself to stay happy within her chosen profession.
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