I used the internet to find some popular music videos that were of the Indie Pop genre, I came across Lana Del Rey's 'Born to die'. This video has a much higher budget than regular indie pop music videos and is unlike many of the UK indie pop music videos.
The video displays a variety of locations and different shot types which allow us to see the various settings in great detail. Although, most indie videos are in low budget settings such as parks this video goes against this convention and displays a more
As the video cuts between her singing the first verse we are able to see the narrative which clearly links with the lyrics. As the narrative continues we see that a love story is being displayed and it is clear that as she is singing the lyrics in the chair we are shown shots of her past relationship.
One of the most significant costumes is Lana laying in bed wearing a white dress, singing the lyrics, " lost but now I am found " , not only does the white dress connote innocence and purity but her facial expression and body language highlight to the audience that she has lost her boyfriend or is being freed from a toxic relationship and is going through a heartbreak. We can clearly tell by the emotion in her face that she is in a great deal of emotional pain.
As she is lying in bed the male appears and then disapears which may be an indication that she is thinking of him and their past memories now that he is no longer around.
Many close ups are used which allows us to see her facial expression as the narrative begins to unfold, dim and dark lighting is used to show the shots in the past. Also, the dark lighting helps to set the tone of the video, as she is mourning her past relationship, the tone and mood is quite depressing and miserable.
Throughout the majority of the video she is sitting on a chair guarded by two tigers, wearing a white dress and red lipstick. The white dress could connote her innocence and purity in the situation she is in however it is contrasted with red lipstick which may indicate danger. This could also be linked to Laura Mulveys ' Male Gaze' , as the lipstick could have been used to make her seem more attractive. The two tigers could also imply that she is strong and fearless and if you come near her you will be in danger.
As the video draws to an end, we see the male holding the body of a female (Lana) whilst a car is on fire in the background. The shot begins to zoom out, which allows us as an audience to see everything that is going on in the shot. The male in the shot seems as if he wanted to hurt her as he is not displaying any remorse, the shot is very significant as it links with the lyrics which can be related to Andrew Goodwin's Music video theory as there is a succinct relationship between the music and visuals. The lyrics being repeated are " we were born to die " whilst he is holding the body of his girlfriend.
The videos ending is similar to its beginning , However there is a slight difference. The males hand has changed position which may be an indication that he holds the power and is protecting the female and she is his property.
Throughout the video the editing is quite smooth as a story is being told, there are no fast paced cuts between each shots which allows everything to flow so the audience can understand the narrative.
