Music Video Textual Analysis #3

Florence + the Machine - Dog Days Are Over
Universal Island Records
October 2009

Analysis between 1:30-2:30

Florence + the Machine's music videos often follow a nature or light based theme. The indie rock

band's first music video "Dog Days Are Over" is no exception to this concept; the narrative unfolds in a woodland setting. The trees acted as barriers for Florence when she attempted to run away from the clowns inferring that there is no escape from her surroundings. Additionally, the natural lighting casts shadows along the ground and makes the area seem distorted. When analysing this further one notes that some of the subjects faces aren't visible due to this which brings about the idea of falseness and a dream-like state. One feels that this is because the subjects seem dark and almost monstrous and the shadows appear to be their hiding places. With the themes of shadows from the natural lighting and nature from the trees, one is led to believe that the physical and metaphorical barriers create a sense of entrapment for Florence. Other indie rock music videos have similar characteristics: set outside, natural lighting and the vocalist as the main subject.

Throughout the extract the camera seemed to be hand held and the director chose to use panning shots to convey movement and action. The hand held shots seem to add to the dream-like sense of the music video because they're not precise and static. Additionally, the editing of these shots mostly cut to the beat of the song. One feels that this made the video's pace much quicker and would therefore keep the audience engaged for longer. As well as this, one notes the slow motion action of the camera when the music slows down. This visual amplification of the soundtrack allows the audience to see the relation between the two and become more drawn to the action within the music video. 

Although there are no direct links between the lyrics and the visuals it can be suggested that the video mirrors the inferred meaning of the song. The song could be interpreted to mean that a bad time in someone's life is over but the bad things are catching up with the person: "The dog days are over ... The horses are coming, So you better run". One feels that the 'horses' are metaphorical and are represented by the clowns in the video. Clowns have many negative connotations due to them being stereotyped as unusual and evil. Their face paint conceals their faces and identities - so when "the horses are running" the clowns/bad things are chasing Florence. 

As lead vocalist, Florence is the main subject of the video. Many close ups of her face are used to ensure that the audience instantly recognise that it's her record. Furthermore, this aids the sales of the

record because when the audience hear the radio version they are able to make the connection back to the video. Within the extract there are references to the notion of looking - especially looking at Florence. The low angled shot of the clowns looking down on Florence give the audience an uneasy feeling about the situation that she's in. This juxtaposes many current music videos which usually portray the vocalist, mainly females, in a overly sexualised way. Moreover, a spotlight is angled towards Florence during a close up of her face. Again, this could be a reference to the notion of looking because her face is lit up much like it would be if she were on stage with lights pointing towards her. Thus, the audience are drawn to look at her face.

Happiness hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with her drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
'Cause here they come

And I never wanted anything from you
Except everything you had and what was left after that too, oh
Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back
Struck from a great height by someone who should know better than that

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
'Cause here they come

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
'Cause here they come

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run