Mise en Scene:
- Location- high school- Basket ball, sports hall, locker room, school girl style skirt
- bright colours- According to the directors of 'CANADA' they were inspired by the idea of paint being poured, which they used as a clip in the video. The idea was that the bright colours contrasted the gorilla's black fur. The bright colours of the live action clips meant that the use of animation flowed nicely and did not seem out of place.
- Costume- the bright colours are reflected on the clothing as well as the setting. The girls wear short skirts and tight t-shirt of different colours, whilst the boys wear coloured sports gear. Then the girls are shown dancing in matching cheer leading outfits of short skirts and bright colours and a pattern which mimics the look of the spilling paint, later in the video; connecting the clips together with aesthetic.
Narrative
- the idea behind the music video is that the cool basketball player is in love with the girl, but the school mascot steals her from him and she is more interested in the mascot (Trevor the Gorilla). This is supposed to represent an unexpected love and the usual role of who gets the girl (in teen high school media content) has been flipped.
Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory applied:
- The lyrics are about a man who is in love with a woman, who is with someone else, therefore the visuals support the lyrics, supporting Andrew Goodwin's Theory. The pace of the editing is also mirrored by the pace of the song, therefore supporting his theory that the visuals support the music. For example, when the speed of the music slows down, the paint pouring clip is played and shows a visual representation of the smooth section of the music, in comparison to the fast pace previous shots and music.
- the music video has a very psychedelic feel to it and demonstrates genre characteristics very well due to the bright colours and random shot styles and clips (e.g spilling paint and drawn animation)
- Their is a voyeuristic element in the video, due to the sexual content and sexualisation of the cheerleaders and main female role. In the beginning of the video, close-ups of the girl show her looking at the basketball player suggestively, and then it cuts to a sexual scene between the two. This shows the girl in a completely voyeuristic manner, due to her supposed sex appeal and the content of the scene. However, the idea of the male gaze and the traditional gender roles is contradicted throughout the video, as it is clear that the female character is in control. She has control over both the Basketball player and the Mascot, and is playing the Basketball player by using him. This brings in the idea that the voyeurism is actually shown stronger in the male character, and he is shown as the weaker of the two, breaking the norms of a traditional gender representation. The boy seems to be in owe of the girl, whilst trying to impress her and win her over against the mascot. The use of the close-up shot of him saying 'I LOVE YOU!' is emphasised with slow motion, as he looks up to the girl, therefore showing him as the weaker character.
- The video does contradict Goodwins Theory that there must be close ups and significant reference to the artist, as Tame Impala are not featured in the video at all. Instead, they have hired actors and actresses to act out the story line. This is effective for this band, and they are very rarely featured in their music videos, creating a sense of mystery. It is interesting to see stories being told with there music, rather than using their videos as a form of advertisement, they are entertaining and a form of art.
- This is a very postmodern music video due to these adjustments in stereotypical gender roles and the use of the mascot creating a sense of fantasy in the videos world. It included a pastiche of King Kong with the reference to the gorilla, specifically the routine when the cheerleaders dance with a gorilla's hand around them.
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