GENRE ANALYSIS – FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS – THE

WALKERSaeed Moulai

Fact File

■ Artist/Group: Fitz And The Tantrums■ Name Of The Song: The Walker■ Which Album, when was it released?: Out Of My League, 2013■ Who Directed It? Warren Kommers

What is the song about?■The song is a person telling the story

of what is going on with his life, and it mainly talks about how this person isn't going to to what people tell him to do. The lyrics talk about how the person is far ahead of the others who say things about the person, and how this character is taking control and rebelling against what others say. It shows a celebration of being different and rebelling.

Is there a plot in the music video?■ The plot focuses on a man lining up for the DMV store on a boiling hot day,

and constantly throughout the video it shows him suffering from flashbacks. The video shows him struggling with the heat and the main character from Fitz and The Tantrums singing the lyrics behind him, and its almost like when the lyrics are being sung the temperature is being cranked up. The man then starts twitching and shaking, then when the chorus comes around the character bursts out and starts dancing in beat with the music (which is typical of an indie pop music video). The song then shows the man walking around the area which also links in with the meaning of the song and is a convention of indie pop. After this the band members join in and sing and walk along with the man, they sing through the use of lip sync. Both of these conventions (band members appearing and lip sync) both fit in well with typical codes and conventions of indie pop. The music video ends with the sweaty man leading a massive dance troupe in an urban area.

Is it performance, narrative or conceptual?

■ I think that in general the music video is a narrative video because it follows one person and it tells a story of what has gone on. But there are also elements of performance because there are many parts of the music video which include dance moves and dance routines, as well as the band members joining in and singing through the use of lip sync. It is also slightly conceptual through the use of random images such as a random helicopter flying in the air, although this characteristic is typical of indie pop music videos.

Is there an obvious connection between the lyrics and visuals?■ I think there is quite a strong connection between lyrics and

visuals in this video, this can be seen in many occasions through the use of the characters dance moves, for example, when the lyrics go “I need it, I need it oh!” the visuals is the man dancing with his fists clenched almost begging the air. Another example is when the lyrics go “They say I'm a walking dreamer, baby, If I stop they would make the show”. The visuals that accompany this is the main singer walking fast in time with the music down the street and pointing to himself. There are many gestures and movements like this throughout the whole song, it is also worth noting that the main characters footsteps are always in time with every beat throughout the song.

Who is the target audience for this video?■ I think the age of my target audience would be between the

ages of 16-22.■ This is because the way that indie pop artists, particularly Fitz

and The Tantrums produce and distribute their music is in a way which is suitable for this age

■ This is also a good target audience because of the tune of the song , as well as the lyrics to the song, many people this age can relate to the lyrics in this song and many others in the indie pop genre. It could also be argued that this song is targeted at hipsters because its alternative music

Does the video focus on the artists/group, or are other characters in focus?

■The video mainly focuses on one character, a male, who is in his mid 20s. He is dressed smartly in a shirt and tie and has a short, neat haircut. The story of the video follows him but members of the band also join in often showing shots of them miming and dancing along with the music, this links in well with Goodwin's theory of Star Image as well as various codes and conventions of indie pop videos.

What is the atmosphere of the music video? ■The atmosphere of the music video is positive and uplifting. It

tells the story of happiness and self comfort as well as not listening to others, which means it also gives off a sense of rebellion and resistance. All characters seem to be happy and singing, which gives off a positive atmosphere and a good, happy vibe.

Describe how camera, editing, mise en scene and SFX are used to convey meaning?■The constant use of close ups to the

main character’s face is an attempt to portray his inner emotion and how he really feels. Throughout the video there is a constant use of cutting to the beat which is an aspect of Goodwin’s theory and is also very typical of Indie Pop music videos. Most character’s costumes are casual and dull clothing, which is also typical of the Indie Pop genre.

What is the intention with the music video?

■The intention of the music video is to show that its good to show your individuality, and to be yourself, and when you are yourself you’ll be a lot happier and will make more friends. This can be discovered through the course of the narrative where the character starts off timid and once he is himself he’s very upbeat and happy.

Can you provide any further rhetorical readings of the music video?■The video links in many aspects to Goodwin’s

theory of six main aspects to a music video. This can be seen through the use of star image, thought beat, narrative alongside performance, lyrics and more. There are no findings of Mulvey’s theory in this music video but there are hints of Todorov’s narrative theory simply because the music video is narrative and it tells a story.

How far does the video contain typical genres of music videos of the indie pop genre? Does it present or challenge?

■ I think that the music video conforms to the stereotypical codes and conventions of music videos very strongly. Firstly, this can be seen through the use of mise-en-scene. The costume of the characters in the music videos are casual and laid back, baggy clothing, mostly khaki or camel colored as well as black and grey. This can also be seen through the use of location and setting. The setting is typical of an indie pop music video because its set in an urban area, which is generally low budget. Although this video does go against the trend in some ways because it has no use of actual performance with a band alongside narrative, which is normally a common trend in indie pop videos.