LIIAR - Ed Drewett - Drunk Dial

LIIAR Analysis: Ed Drewett - Drunk Dial:

Language-
The language of this text is shown through the use of imagery which also supports Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze Theory' as it features barely dressed women in a club. Therefore this music video follows conventions of many chart songs.
Cinematography:
The cinematography in the music video shows close-ups of people's faces to show their emotions which are generically happy, which re-enforces the setting of a club. Also close-ups of drinks to again establish the setting of the video with regards to location. An extreme close-up of a slot machine is used to show the reasons why people would attend pubs and clubs, to drink and gamble. This means that audiences can relate and understand the video as it creates verisimilitude to real life. Pans are used to show the people who are in the club to give the audience an idea of what the club is like. They are also used to prove Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze Theory' as the camera pans around the girls in the club. Close-ups of breasts are used, again to re-enforce the theory. The camera looks to be mainly handheld throughout the video which could be used to represent the way you feel when you're intoxicated, however in some parts the camera is clearly on a tripod because of the stillness of the shots. Mise-en-scene:
The mise-en-scene in the music video is used again to re-enforce the location and setting of the video itself. This mise-en-scene includes clothing that people would generally wear in the location of the video. Also random objects that may seem fascinating to those who are under the influence of alcohol. Such as a blow-up guitar, a ferret, a beach ball and Hawaiian flower scarf. This re-enforces the name of the song and the general idea behind the song, which is something that many people can relate to, and may, again, create verisimilitude.

This also creates a particularly satirical idea of the video. Almost as if the artist is using the video to satirise people who attend these locations and do the things that he features in the video. 

Sound:

The music video features the lyrics of the song, and also the music and the beat that is used to create the music. The music generally keeps its pace, until the chorus of the song where it speeds up slightly to go with the lyrics. There is no asynchronous sound to develop the narrative. There is a little narrative scene at the end of the video where the artist is in a fight, however there is no sound alongside the narrative, the music has stopped so is essentially silent.

Editing:

The editing clearly matches the beat of the song which helps the audience to understand the video and also keeps them interested. The editing consists of mainly cross cuts, and also fades. The fades that are used may be used in order, again, to create verisimilitude for an audience who know what it is like to feel intoxicated.

The editing is mainly fast-paced to go with the song effectively. There are 32 edits in the chorus alone, despite the song being just slightly fast-paced, however this creates a club-like feeling for the audience. In comparison to other chart songs, this video features many edits but not as many as others.
How this links to my planning:

The song that I have chosen is by the same artist as the one above, which means I can understand what he usually does with his videos. The song I have chosen is not as fast-paced as this, however is of the same genre as the song analysed above. This therefore means that my editing will not be as fast-paced, however will still match the beat of the song. Also because of the difference in narrative the mise-en-scene that I will use will be very different in comparison. My location will also be very different in terms of the narrative. For example rather than a club scene, the song that I have chosen is more of a dedication to a relationship, so the club would not relate very well to the lyrics of the song, whereas for a song like the one above the club is the ideal location because of the nature of the lyrics in terms of a relationship.

Institution-

The song is written and sung by British singer/songwriter Ed Drewett. He has contributed works to the likes of The Wanted, Olly Murs and One Direction. He then went on to audition for Britain's Got Talent in 2014, however after the live semi-finals his performance did not receive enough public votes for him to continue. He is associated with the pop and R&B genres, both performing and also songwriting. In 2008 he signed to leading Worldwide publishers Warner/Chappell Music. Later that year he signed his first record deal with Virgin Records and featured on Professor Green's hit single "I Need You Tonight", which charted at number three. Drewett was then dropped by the label and began to write for other artists.

Singles as lead artist[edit]

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		UK
2010	"Champagne Lemonade"	84
2013	"Drunk Dial"	–
2013	"Undefeated"	–

This table is taken from Ed Drewett's Wikipedia page, and shows the songs which he has written and performed himself. This is a lot smaller that the table that would include artists that he has written songs for, or contributed to. Drewett signed a deal with EMI Records in February 2009. EMI, was one of the leading 3 recording companies internationally until it merged with Warner. This says a lot for Ed Drewett as an artist, however he must have been dropped, otherwise he would not have had to appear on Britain's Got Talent.

Ideology-

This song is about love, that has potentially broken down. Therefore resulting in the man being left broken-hearted and the woman being the recipient of drunken phone calls, whilst the male drowns his sorrows alcohol. This is a popular form of narrative structure as Kate Domaille would suggest the Romeo and Juliet aspect of her eight narrative types. So many music videos follow this structure as it appeals to a large audience because there is an international understanding of this narrative type. This is also re-enforced by Tim O'Sullivan's theory that every media text tells a story, this also links with audience because this helps the audience to understand the narrative in the way that they 'read' the text.

The shot above shows a woman kissing the artist on the cheek in a flirtatious way, this is not supportive of the lyrics 'I know, I don´t, say it enough but I´m in love So don´t mind if I, I´m drunk dialling ya' because this is relative to the girl who he is in love with, not the girl who is kissing his cheek. This again relates to the understanding of the audience in the way that they read the text and understand the narrative. 

Audience- 

The generic audience that consume music as a whole are generally aged 15-24. This is re-enforced in the way that media texts are promoted and created. This is generally an age where people have problems with love and relationships, which means that this song may appeal to them because of the narrative and the message it is aiming to give. Also it's genre is pop which is the most popular within this age group.

Pop and dance seem to dominate audience feedback.

This particular song would fit under the pop genre, so would therefore be relatively understood and liked by the majority of audiences. Relating back to Kate Domaille's theory, the Romeo and Juliet aspect would be highly understood by these audiences due to it's international popularity. Especially when the target audience generally relate to love stories due to personal experiences. 

This graph shows the aspects expected from an audience, which shows that performance and narrative as the most favourite. This is shown in the above music video as it is relatively narrative. Also this video sticks to the conventions of other pop music videos in the objectification of women in the media, further supporting Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze Theory. This is the institutions way of sticking with conventions and also appealing to the audience of the genre itself.

Representation-

Ed Drewett is represented in the video as a young man, who has had problems within a relationship so settles them by going out with his friends and drinking, linking with real life and therefore creating verisimilitude. As an independent singer/songwriter I feel that the video was solely to represent himself, rather than an institution. This video shows the use of the choices made by the artist himself, during the situation that is being shown in the video. This is relatable to many young people as they feel that this is the only way to help themselves within a situation like the one being shown.