The document discusses representations in the music video for "Leave Before the Lights Come On" by Arctic Monkeys. It analyzes the mise-en-scene, camera angles/shots, and editing used for the main male and female characters. For the male character, his clothing suggests he is coming from work and he acts calmly though gets annoyed with the pestering woman. Camera shots focus on his reactions and show him as dominant. Editing uses jump cuts and parallel shots. The woman's pale clothing suggests unemployment and distress, and shots look down on her to show her lack of importance compared to the man. Her solo scenes are sped up to portray her inner mental state.

1. Representations In Music Videos
Leave Before The Lights Come On –
Arctic Monkeys

2. What is representation?
• Representation is a way in which a group of
people are shown in the piece of media. These
can be shown through stereotypes or even
create stereotypes. Some examples of this are
in music videos. In rap videos, the women
(“Gangsta hoes”) are often shown in minimal
clothing while doing provocative dancing or
stood in a provocative way.

3. Characters In The Music Video
Click on one the text boxes
Mise en scene Camera
angles/shots
Editing
Mise en scene Camera
angles/shots
Editing

4. Mise en scene
• The clothing this character is wearing is very
casual but not too casual, this could suggest
he is walking back from work (1). For the
whole of the video he is seen as an innocent
man who is helping out a woman who is in
distress (2), he does soon become annoyed
after the woman in the video keeps pestering
him (3) however, besides that he comes across
as being calm.
Home

5. Camera Angles/Shots
• Most if not all the camera angles that involve the male
character are either mid shots or close ups, this is mainly
done to see his facial reaction as the stuff the woman does
are very forward and unexpected (1). When the woman
starts trying to fight the man and he pushes her into a
fence the shot is a high angle shot (2), this is done to show
who is the more dominant in this scene and who is more
important; this is shown through the high angle shot as the
perception of height is seen as being more dominant.
When the man is walking away from the woman he is fore
grounded while she is being blurred out, this is to give all
the attention to the male character as he is walking away
from the woman (3). This is followed by a close up to see
his reaction to everything that has happened.
Home

6. Editing
• The main type of editing that occurs in this music video
are jump cuts and it only misses out a few seconds.
This is done to make the video shorter then it would
end up to be. Another type of editing that occurs with
the male character is parallel shot (1). This is to show
what happens in another persons view but at the same
time of the original shot. The shot occurs when the
man has talked the woman down from jumping off the
building and they are hugging. The camera shows the
facial expression of the woman but then jumps to the
mans face to show what he was like. This is done to
show multiple shots of the same time.
Home

7. Mise en scene
• The clothing that the woman is wearing is very
casual clothing which could suggest that she is
unemployed. Her skin tone is very pale which
could say that she is not well or that she is upset
over something. This is all done to make her
come across as being quite a weak character and
that she needs to be with someone which is
shown throughout the rest of the video as after
she is turned down by the man who originally
saved her, she went back to the building to drop
her shoe off in front of another man (1).
Home

8. Camera Angles/Shots
• The camera shots that include the woman are
mainly close ups and mid shots, like it was for the
man, however, most of the shots that include
both characters are looking down and the woman
which means that she is of less importance then
the male character (1).
A lot of the camera shots in this music video are
over the shoulder of the woman character, this
suggests that she is the protagonist in the video
but the way she is treated would suggest
otherwise (2).
Home

9. Editing
• The editing with the woman is very similar to
what happens to the male character (Click here)
as they are in most scenes together, however, in
the scenes where it is just the woman, for
example, when she is stood on top of the building
(1), the footage has been sped up to give it the
feel that a lot is going through her mind on what
she is implying on doing. This could suggest that
she is not well or that she is lonely and would like
to be with somebody which is a small
representation of women that exists but not to
all.
Home

10. Characters In The Music Video
*Click on one the boxes
Mise en scene Camera
angles/shots
Editing
Mise en scene Camera
angles/shots
Editing

11. Mise en scene
• The clothing this character is wearing is very
casual but not too casual, this could suggest
he is walking back from work (1). For the
whole of the video he is seen as an innocent
man who is helping out a woman who is in
distress (2), he does soon become annoyed
after the woman in the video keeps pestering
him (3) however, besides that he comes across
as being calm.
Home

12. Camera Angles/Shots
• Most if not all the camera angles that involve the male
character are either mid shots or close ups, this is mainly
done to see his facial reaction as the stuff the woman does
are very forward and unexpected (1). When the woman
starts trying to fight the man and he pushes her into a
fence the shot is a high angle shot (2), this is done to show
who is the more dominant in this scene and who is more
important; this is shown through the high angle shot as the
perception of height is seen as being more dominant.
When the man is walking away from the woman he is fore
grounded while she is being blurred out, this is to give all
the attention to the male character as he is walking away
from the woman (3). This is followed by a close up to see
his reaction to everything that has happened.
Home

13. Editing
• The main type of editing that occurs in this music video
are jump cuts and it only misses out a few seconds.
This is done to make the video shorter then it would
end up to be. Another type of editing that occurs with
the male character is parallel shot (1). This is to show
what happens in another persons view but at the same
time of the original shot. The shot occurs when the
man has talked the woman down from jumping off the
building and they are hugging. The camera shows the
facial expression of the woman but then jumps to the
mans face to show what he was like. This is done to
show multiple shots of the same time.
Home

14. Mise en scene
• The clothing that the woman is wearing is very
casual clothing which could suggest that she is
unemployed. Her skin tone is very pale which
could say that she is not well or that she is upset
over something. This is all done to make her
come across as being quite a weak character and
that she needs to be with someone which is
shown throughout the rest of the video as after
she is turned down by the man who originally
saved her, she went back to the building to drop
her shoe off in front of another man (1).
Home

15. Camera Angles/Shots
• The camera shots that include the woman are
mainly close ups and mid shots, like it was for the
man, however, most of the shots that include
both characters are looking down and the woman
which means that she is of less importance then
the male character (1).
A lot of the camera shots in this music video are
over the shoulder of the woman character, this
suggests that she is the protagonist in the video
but the way she is treated would suggest
otherwise (2).
Home

16. Editing
• The editing with the woman is very similar to
what happens to the male character (Click here)
as they are in most scenes together, however, in
the scenes where it is just the woman, for
example, when she is stood on top of the building
(1), the footage has been sped up to give it the
feel that a lot is going through her mind on what
she is implying on doing. This could suggest that
she is not well or that she is lonely and would like
to be with somebody which is a small
representation of women that exists but not to
all.
Home

17. Mise en scene page
Mise en scene (1)

18. Mise en scene page
Mise en scene (2)

19. Mise en scene page
Mise en scene (3)

20. Camera Angles/Shots page
Camera Angles/Shots (1)

21. Camera Angles/Shots page
Camera Angles/Shots (2)

22. Camera Angles/Shots page
Camera Angles/Shots (3)

23. Editing (1)
Editing

24. Mise en scene (1)
Mise en scene page

25. Camera Angles/Shots (1)
Camera Angles/Shots page

26. Camera Angles/Shots (2)
Camera Angles/Shots page

27. Editing (1)
Editing page