Music video and Advert Analysis: The White Stripes

Music Video Analysis: Icky Thump

The video uses a lot of close ups combined with point of view shots from the first moment that the main character is dropped off at the gates of Mexico as if the person telling the story of the narrative changes. This specific close up shot is the second one used in the video and immediately highlights the sinister/gothic nature that the band and the director are trying to convey. In doing so it highlights the individual nature that The White Stripes have created for themselves over the years by always doing their own thing. 

Red and White are the videos two colours which are used in the colour scheme running throughout for every character including the band, except for the male lead who is wearing black. This is because the colours are the White Stripes’ band colours. Also the red and White colours are used to show the significance of love/lust merging to innocence and along with the main man wearing the colour black makes it all have negative gothic connotations. This is because when mixing innocence with love/lust just leads to danger or bloodshed which is the message they try to insinuate throughout the video.

Icky thump explores the risky matter of prostitution through the narrative which is something we couldn’t possibly think of insinuating within our own music product as it would be deemed as offensive. However the way in which director came across this idea because it is mentioned in the lyrics, so when we become creating the narrative for our music video we will look for inspiration within the lyrics. This as a whole allows the song to link to the visuals which you are seeing on screen as part of the narrative element of the video.

The Performance element of the video is split up and breaks up the narrative at regular intervals. It uses mid shots to show the general playing, wide angles to show the elaborate style of playing which they are used to and close up shots for when the song itself comes to a point of significance for a particular instrument and then it proceeds to jump to it. The shots are used in a montage together but all carefully selected to fit with the timing of the song. 

The props and costumes in this music video are very significant as they create the creepy world in which the lead male appears to be stuck. As well as the sinister looking skeleton puppets everywhere the low lighting and near black and white elements of the video give it a very gothic theme. This is added to by the jerky camera movement and the soft focus used on the band at random times.

Advert Analysis: Icky Thump

The poster continues the band’s colours which are also conveyed in the music video by using simple shapes to create a simply designed poster. The black in the background gives the poster an easy background which links both to the genre as well as allowing the colourful text of the album title to overlay on top without becoming unnoticed. The text of this poster is all simple and sharp with the album coming before any reference to the band allowing to make reference to how well known the band actually is. The way that they use just the month of release of the album instead of a specific date makes the suspense go on for longer which is similar to the way distribution companies advertise films.

The main image has no direct reference to the band at all except that it is coloured the band colours therefore it entices people to read the poster’s information by giving them something random and abstract to look at that makes no obvious sense. In doing this they make majority of the background red which if people catch it out of the corner of their eye they will take a second look as the colour triggers ‘danger’ in their mind.