Textual Analysis - Modestep - Sunlight

Modestep are a four-piece Dubstep band from London that formed in 2010. The music that they make always has controversial videos which always spark up a debate. The music video for the song 'Sunlight' shows a group of old people doing things that you wouldn't expect them to do, for example they get drunk and party which you would expect teenagers/young adults to do. This makes the video enjoyable and funny to watch and the music that goes along with the video is very up tempo and puts people in a good mood.

Before the record is put on by the old lady the scene is typical of someone of her age, she is cooking egg and sorting out the house but when the record player is turned on, the track sunlight starts playing and already the mood in the scene goes from boring to entertaining. Modesteps logo is on the record so they use a close up shot to make the audience see it, although the colours in the scene are dull the record stands out and everything else about the scene is happy.  

The characters in the scene are riding BMX bikes and scooters which you wouldn't associate with people of their age. They wear old fashioned clothes such as tweed blazers and trousers however they act a lot younger. Again the colours used are vintage and the same colour correction is used throughout the video. They are also in the middle of the road which could mean that they have no care for anything and they just want to live their lives to the fullest.

Another shot which I found very clever was the CCTV camera shot, the CCTV is split into four screens so the actions of each character can be seen at the same time. The characters are stealing drink and terrorising the shop keeper which would not be expected from the older generation. Once again they are not subtle about their actions as they grab as much alcohol as possible and run about the shop with it. They are living a care free life.

The old man in this shot has a beer hat on his head which shows that h. He also looks very happy which shows that he is enjoying himself and having a good time. The room that they are drinking in is very empty with only a table, chairs and speakers. The walls are white and not much light is coming through the windows so the scene looks dull however the faces and activities being shown in the scene are far from dull.

The old lady is smoking weed whilst they are all getting drunk at the table. The weed is getting passed around the table between each character which would not be expected from the older generation. The dubstep being played at this moment in time has a big impact on the way its edited as the music video uses lots of quick cuts and rapid editing. Again the room is empty with only the record player and speakers in the background.

All three characters are sitting on a bench on the street drinking, they are all still in the same outfits that they started in so they look vintage. The colours all fit perfectly with the plot of the music video which makes it all more believable. After they finish drinking they throw their bottles at the wall making the bottle smash everywhere. This would not be expected from the older generation but because of their care free personality they just do what they like.

In this shot the older man has a young, attractive woman sitting on his lap which shows that although he is really old because he acts a lot younger the girl still shows interest in him. Also there is lots of alcohol in the clip which shows that they are all probably drunk. This shot is a lot darker compared to the other previous shots because its filmed at night where as the rest were filmed during the day. The old woman looks a little left out.

The final clip shows the characters in the garden dancing with a policeman who seems to be really getting involved. The old woman had the policeman's hat on, the speakers are blaring the music and the old man is being the DJ. The mise en scene is very different to what would be expected for a rave as they are in an overgrown garden, the DJ equipment and speakers are on an old table however the way its filmed makes it look very effective.