1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMoAcBpUd
5Q
OLIVVER THE KID- ATTICA
MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

2. The song, by analysing the lyrics Is about how his life has changed been
in prison and away from the girl he loves but also how its changed them when
they’re together. Its about the truth behind how his situation has changed them
together but also how it’s changed the way she looks at him.
Specific genre characteristics that he uses in this particular video are all listed
below:
- Certain filters on top of the film to make It look a a particular tone in
different parts of the video like when he’s by himself thinking In his cell
and when he’s been told off by the officer, it’s very blue toned. They also
used a very distinctive filter on the footage of him and his girlfriend in the
past. It was hazy and very bright which makes them look old because they
look like they wee filmed using rolls. This suggests that him and his
girlfriend haven't been like that in a long time, or what feels like forever.
- Use of artificial light and natural for different parts in the video. The
majority of the filming is inside and they use lights to make the prison look
dark and dingy which contrasts with the natural light that’s used when he
is released.
- Use a storyline to relate the lyrics too/ this can persuade viewers to watch
the video again because it makes the song more personal and some
viewers can relate.
THE LYRICS & GENRE
CHARACTERISTICS

3. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS & VISUALS
Andrew Goodwin said in his conventions of music videos that there is a relationship
between lyrics and visuals, in the video “Attica” it shows perfectly how they can help
emphasize narrative. The video starts with him been pulled out of him home by a prison
guard and leaving his girlfriend behind then an image of his mug shot with his prison
number. When the lyrics start and are sung, ‘I’ve changed my mind’ in the first verse it
shows him spinning the dial on a phone with his prison overalls on then a quick cut in of an
old film of him in bed with girl, then back to him in the prison on the phone. This shows
how his mind is flickering between two places, the actual reality of his situation in the
present time and his past. The song is about the truth behind their relationship and what’s
changed whilst they’re apart, we assume that he’s ringing her up and whilst he’s doing so,
he’s reflecting on all the best times in their relationship and what he misses. Usually when
speaking to someone you love or someone you haven’t been able to speak to for a long
time you don’t concentrate on anything else other than hearing their voice on the end of
the line but he instead is thinking into his past. We can therefore assume that their
relationship isn’t what it used to be and he misses it.
When the lyrics are sung, “surrounded by evil & hate it crept”, it shows a crab right which
shows three different cells in the prison, the contrast of what the prisoners are doing in
each one in comparison to him shows there is a big difference between the sorts of people
they are. We can conclude that during this part he’s relating evil to the prisoners and the
atmosphere around him to the evil and possibly thinking back to his old life, which is why
little clips of his past cut in to the parts of him in the prison. When the lyrics say “into my
mind and out my pores”, it shows polaroid pictures of him and his girlfriend, who’s
featured in all the small clips of his past, on his grey prison wall. Pores are what belong on
your body and help your whole system work and release things that aren't needed, by
filming old photographs of him and his girlfriend when this part is been sung suggest that
he needs her, he needs her to help get rid of all the evil and darkness around him and help
him forget.

4. However when the lyrics go on to say, “I felt what happened, the truth I
know” it shows him alone in his dark prison cell looking at old photographs.
When the beat of the chorus kicks in it shows clips again of old memories of
his with his girlfriend then reframes into him banging his head on his prison
cell looking upwards. This really puts emphasis on how much he looks behind
him into his past and how much he thinks of her. When he bangs his head on
the cell it suggests that he’s trying to bring himself back to reality where
possibly that relationship is gone or disintegrating. Following clips that are
shown when the lyrics are been sung, “the truth I know”, are off him sat in a
interview room been interrogated by an officer and off him just looking down
without answering, more clips of him and his girlfriend together and a close
up of him in his prison overalls. In this section of the song it’s all about his
reality and the main components in his life but also where his thoughts take
him.
On the next verse where the lyrics are sung, “my heads been filled with
doubts”, it shows him doing press ups in his cell and clips of him reading, all
to rake his mind of of her as clips of their relationship continue to be shown
throughout.
“I’ve been looking for a reason to stay” shows him and his girlfriend sat
opposite each other behind a glass window on the phone to each other. It
suggests that their relationship is coming to the end and it isn’t working
anymore. The visual of their facial expressions where neither of them smile,
compared to the clips of them in their happiest times highlights how their
relationship has changed.

5. The whole of the second verse shows their interaction when on
the phone and how they look at each other. “I’m out of my
mind & I’m out of the door, I left alone, or so the story goes”
with the visual of her getting up and putting the phone down
then a short clip in their past of her moving away from him
suggests that instead of thinking of the good times, he’s
thinking of all the times she’s left him when he’s been venerable
and alone. The rest of the lyrics are the repetition of “the truth
I know” which at first is sung very quietly and shows him on the
phone by himself, sat holding his head up, we assume that he’s
trying to call her up and wants to speak to her but has no
answer. When the beat drops it shows him slamming the phone
down, the officer which was questioning him throwing files
against the wall and a prison guard beating him up. This is
where the reality of his situation really kicks in and to me it feels
like it’s a conclusion of his time in the prison and shows all the
disastrous points during his tie there.
The actual repetition of lyrics with these visuals really do tell
the story and give the illusion of time passing. It shows how
hard his life has been especially since she left and is the truth
about what it’s like to have the person you loved above all else
and who got you up to then leave you at the worst place in your
life. The last scene in the music video where its only
instrumental music is off him when he’s released from prison
and he’s walking past his ex girlfriends house. She see’s him and
they lock eyes but neither smiles at one another. This shows
how he’s moved on and he’s going to a better place without her.
All these examples are ones of how lyrics and visuals have a
relationship and help tell a story.

6. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC & VISUALS
Andrew Goodwin also said that there is always a relationship
between music and visuals. The music first starts with a electric
guitar solo with a minor key and the visual of a him been escorted
out him home by a police officer, leaving his girlfriend behind him.
These two match very well because the intricate music gives the
story a sadness to it and makes it look as if it’s a scene that is hard
for their relationship. The screen then shows him in his prison
overalls holding up his number for his mug shot with a black and
white filter running throughout these two scenes.
The next scene is of him spinning a phone dial which spins on the
word ‘I’ve’ and the music suddenly drops into a beat with a very
punchy rhythm with his lyrics been the main harmony. The scenes
change their cutting rate to the beat and flick in-between different
scenes of him on the phone and clips running throughout. At the end
of the first verse where the music i=has a continuous beat, suddenly
more instruments add to the beat and make it louder and the pitch
of voice gets higher.
This breaks up the verse from the chorus, the visual that goes along
with the chorus are off him been shouted at by an investigator or
guard in an investigation room and the argument between the two
men. The is stood up leant against the desk directly in front of olivver
looking down at him whereas olivver is sat and the close ups of his
face shows that he doesn’t particularly care about what the man is
saying to him.

7. Most would be frightened of an authoritive figure like that when they
are vulnerable however shows of him doing an impression of him
talking at him, suggest he isn't scared. The clips of him and his
girlfriend that cut in between this scene show on the parts he isn't
singing in-between lines and I think are there to represent what's
going on in his thoughts during this argument between him and the
guard.
When the chorus ends the music goes into a few string strokes of a
guitar then the drums repeat the same rhythm that plays throughout
the chorus with just his voice layered over the top. I’ve noticed that
when this section of the music is playing, when it’s just his voice and
the music, the visuals tend to show parts of his life that are the worst
or what things angered him enough to make a song about it. It shows
him at first in his cell doing things to keep him busy, however the
scene after was of a phone conversation with his girlfriend. In other
videos like ‘Bbblue’ by Olivver the kid when he’s with the girl he loves
the music flowed well and was in a major key. However when he’s
reunited with his girlfriend in this video neither look glad to see each
other. The scene ends when she puts the phone down and walks
away, leaving him more alone then ever before. The punchy, heavy
beat music really compliments this scene and gives the viewer the
feel of anger that he felt and I think the music is meant to be a
representation for how he feels.

8. When the section the lyrics is repeated from the chorus, the
music is very quiet and his voice gradually fades the visuals that
are played when this section of music occurs is when he’s sat
down with a phone trying to get hold of her or in his cell
thinking about her. When he realizes that he’s not going to get
hold of her, he throws the phone down, this is where the beat
drops again and the music gets louder and louder with more
musical instruments layered over the top.
Eventually after the chorus the music goes into a small guitar
solo which is played when he’s just been beaten up by the
prison guard and is on the floor. It then shows him in his cell
with a bruised face and a different police guard running his
baton through the prisoners cell bars. The relationship between
visuals and music is very strong at this point because it’s used to
show how he’s at his most venerable point yet during his time at
the prison. The music picks up and the drum beats start again
when the guard reaches his cell and nods to let him out and
release him. This music carries on throughout the rest of the
video when he’s released and see’s his ex girlfriend, it puts
emphasis on that he wasn’t sad he was no longer with her but
felt confident enough to walk past her house and feel like he can
get on with his life without her.

9. CLOSE UPS
Andrew Goodwin said that close ups are used in all music videos and
there is a common theme of close ups of the artist or band. In this
music video most of the close ups are of the artist and this is a feature
than runs throughout a lot of his videos. Close ups are used to show
their emotion and capture the moments in expression that show a
distinct feeling or thought within a character. For example, the top
screenshot on the right is of his girlfriend right at the end of the video
where she firsts see’s him since his release. The bottom screenshot is
off his expression when he first see’s her after his release.
The difference in how they’re looking at each other can suggest a lot
about where each of them lies with each other. She looks surprised to
see him and looks as if she is watching him walk away from her with
disbelief. The video shows that as he walks past she opens the door to
look at him and this is the moment they catch eyes. He, on the other
hand, looks very much moves on and looks at her more like a stranger
than an ex girlfriend or someone you used to love. This suggests that
he’s still angry at what she did but is moving on it whereas she looks
surprised that he’s out of prison and looks more as If she wants him to
come over to her. All of this can be inferred through the use of close
ups and give the viewers a more personal feel to the characters or
artist.
The middle screenshot of a clip that cuts in to the scene of him been
beaten up and Is of him sat at the desk where the prison officer is
questioning him. The look on his face gives the impression that he’s fed
up and no longer cares about what the officer is saying. These three
examples are perfect to show how close ups can be used to show
emotion within characteristics.

10. NOTION OF LOOKING
Notion of looking is a convention that Andrew Goodwin said is in
every music video. This music video is a good example of how this
can show the relationship between people in the video. The part in
the music video where Olivver the kid is been interrogated by a
investigator or guard the shots of how he looks at him suggest that
he looks down upon him and thinks that he’s beneath him.
The second screen shot is just after his girlfriend walked out of
their phone face to face conversation and when he’s trying to get
hold of her again. The way in which he’s looking into the camera
gives the idea that he’s fed up but also a sense of disparity. He’s got
his head in his hands which suggests that he’s been sat there for
some time, prisoners have a set amount of call time a week and
therefore this suggests that he’s using a lot of his call time, if not all
of it, to try get in touch with her. When the chorus kicks in he
throws the phone down and looks as if he’s screaming. I can
assume that she didn’t pick up and the frustration really gets to
him because of their separation and her stubbornness.
The last screenshot is of a prison guard, possibly the one that
previously beat him up, looking into hiss cell. He is stood similar to
the man in the first screenshot, looking down on him. The way he’s
looking and the angle of the camera emphasis this because he has
no joy on his face or even a regard that he’s looking at another
human being. This shows how prisoners are treated in prisons and
can give the viewer a feel for how he’s feeling seen as a lot of the
shots look as if they’re from his perspective.

11. TECHNICAL ASPECTS
Camera work:
Angles that the music video use in “Attica“ use are listed below and
why I think they have been used to create an effect:
- Close ups of his hands dialling her number and of both there
facial expressions to capture their emotion.
- Track in shot- in first scene it zooms in closer to her doorway
and is the closest when he comes out of the door.
- Low angle shot- makes whoever is in frame look more powerful
or strong.
- Crab right shot- follows horizontally along the prisoners in their
cells.
- Ped up- shows his polaroid photograph on bed then peds up to
him with his head against the prison walls.
- Wide angle shot
- Over the shoulder shot- shows how other people in his
surroundings treat him and how he treats them.
- Arc shot- spins around his head when he’s sat in in front of the
police officer and gives his view from a wider angle.
- Point of view shot- a lot of the shots of the prison officers or
guards are from his perspective.

12. TECHNICAL ASPECTS
Mise-en scene:
In the music video they use lots of mise en scene to emphasise the
characters and their surroundings, they do this by:
- Props- props that he used in the video like his reading book as
well as all the polaroid photographs on his prison walls make
him have a soft spot and not look as if he’s the stereotypical
prisoner. It also adds something to his story that he’s separated
from people that he loves and can’t do anything to be closer to
them.
- Costume- the prisoners and the guards are both dressed very
accordingly to their position and shows the viewers an obvious
difference between them and the control they have.
- Locations and sets- shot in mostly a set up studio that’s meant
to look like a prison or has hired that place to film in to make it
look like a prison.
- Lighting – the lighting is probably the most important aspect of
mise-en scene to get this music video to be this successful.
- They have used in the prison environment very low key lighting
with a very strong casted shadow in some scenes. However in
other scenes, such as the first part of the video where he dials
and picks up the phone, are lit slightly differently. They have
used lights in the background of the video that have quite a
warm tone to them. This contrast against the grey concrete
walls make the prison look more cold and isolating because it
overrules any brightness or light in there.

13. TECHNICAL ASPECTS
Editing:
In the music use a range of editing techniques that I have
identified and will be listed below:
-motivated cut- parts of the video that the people in frame
look over to something and the viewers can’t see it makes
them want to know and gives mystery to the video.
-Cutting rate- gets faster as the music gets faster.
-shot, reverse, shot- shows how the people in frame respond
to each others action & can provoke nervousness or
intensity when it doesn’t go well. For example when he see’s
his ex girlfriend for the first time since she walked out on
him.
-cutaways- show him at different points during his time in
prison and cut in-between each other to follow on from
what's happened previously in a scene.
-match on action- follow him from different angles when
he’s released from sitting in his cell, the guard saying he can
be released then a back shot of him walking away.

14. TECHNICAL ASPECTS
Sound:
In this music video, sound is a big part of the production and a lot
can be told about the video through the music and lyrics. The
techniques of sound they have used in this video are listed below:
- Sound bridges- the song continuously is played over the
scenes to make the video as well as the music fit together and
flow nicely.
- Non diegetic sound- all sound that is in the video has been
edited in post production.
- Synchronous sound- right of the song he is miming the at the
beginning lyrics but it makes it look as if he’s singing them.
Therefore there is clear source of where the sound is coming
from in the frame.
- Asynchronous sound- when he’s not miming, there is no
other things in the whole video that the music would come
from therefore the viewer can’t see the source of the music,
making it asynchronous.