Gotye - Somebody I Used To Know Deconstruction

Gotye - Somebody I used To Know

Length - 4.04

Edits- Approx 64(not including stop/go animation edits)

    The establishing shot is a high angle of the floor. The camera then pans upwards to reveal the artists foot followed by his leg. This pan continues upwards showing the whole side of his body before settling on his face. The camera moves in a slow steady way fitting with the speed and beat of the music to help the music video flow. This whole establishing shot introduces the artist 'Gotye' and therefore makes the audience focus on him throughout the video. A generic convention of most music videos is that the artists clothing represents the genre of music. However here Gotye is pictured naked. This works with the lyrics of the song talking about his venerability and how he has lost his love. The establishing sequence is well lit to attract the target audience to the video

    During the first verse the main camera angle is a medium close up. This highlights his appearance and makes him a possible aspiring figure to males and attracts females to watch the video. He is once again shown to be naked which helps represent the sadness of the song and his venerability. There are several matched cuts which are a one step change of shot sizes either from a medium close up shot to a close up or a close up to a medium close up shot. These matched cuts help to highlight certain parts of the lyrics. For example during the lyrics "Like resignation to the end, always the end" the camera angle is a close up. This is to help represent how he has given up like the lyrics are suggesting. Throughout the first verse no matter of the camera angle he is framed centrally. This means the audiences eye will be drawn to him throughout which will help sell him as a artist. The editing during this part of the music video is always on the beat of the music to make the video more attractive to target audiences and to help it flow.

        During the chorus the animation process of stop go animation is used. This is used to slowly paint the background behind Gotye and himself bit by bit. Eventually at the end of the chorus Gotye has blended into the background. By using stop go animation it gives a creative interesting flare to the video which will attract the indie target audience who are stereotypically creative in nature. Gotye being painted so he blends into the background is also symbolic of the lyrics where he is singing about how he is now nothing and nobody: "But you didn't have to cut me off. Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing". A mix of close ups are used to highlight the painting of the background and his body. The use of close ups helps the audience to clearly understand what is happening within the video so they don't loose interest. The editing between the different close ups always occurs on the beat of the music to help the music video flow. A mix of stereotypically male and female colours are used to paint Gotye. The mix of colours is to attract and not put of both the male and female target audience. 

    The second verse of the song is sung by another artist called Kimbra who features in the video. She is introduced by the camera zooming out from a medium close up of Gotye to reveal her. They are both framed in a mid shot slightly of centre representing that they are equal. This idea is also enforced by the effort made to make them almost have a matched eye line. The pattern of paint around them is significant as it is fractured. This represents how their feelings have hurt 'fractured' by their break up. Around Kimbra is a mixture of green paint which was not featured before in the video. This makes her stand out clearly to the audience and introduces her as a main part in the rest of the video. Later on in Verse 2 there is a medium close up of Kimbra walking towards Gotye. This helps to show off her attractive looks which the target audience would be able to relate too as she has a trendy alternative look. Her good looks might also make her a aspiring figure to female target audiences and attracts male target audiences because of her sex appeal.

     At the end of the video, the creative process of stop go animation is once again used to remove the body paint of Kimbras body. By the paint being removed off her but not Gotye it is symbolic as it is representing how she has 'cut him off'' as mentioned in the lyrics in the chorus: "But you didn't have to cut me off". By him still being covered in the fractured paint pattern it also represents how he is still hurt while she is now clean and fresh and her feelings towards him have gone. By ending the music video in this mid shot it also sums up the short basic narrative that has been running throughout the video of them breaking up and going their separate ways.

Throughout deconstructing the indie genre video of "Gotye - Somebody I Used To Know", I have found some generic conventions. Just like in Carly Rae Jepsons music video most of the editing within the video occurs on the beat. There is also a narrative throughout the music video, a generic convention I found in Carly Rae Jepsons Pop genre music video.

However some conventions I found in Gotyes video were different to in Carly Rae Jepsons Video. The indie genre video was more creative and this is a generic convention throughout indie genre music videos as the indie target audience find them more interesting to watch. Clothes are also used in music videos to represent the target audience and the genre of music. Gotye's video subverts this convention as no clothes are used at all during the music video to fit the innocence and sadness of the song.