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Music Videos: Little bit of Love - Coggle Diagram
Music Videos: Little bit of Love
Industry
Tom Grennan is a 26 year old indie/alternative rock singer songwriter, born in Bedford but based in London
The content of his music is personal and inspired by his own experiences
Keane Shaw directed the music video
He wanted to move away from 'girl meets boy' - didn't look at the romantic perspective and looked at it from somebody asking to be loved, supported, cared for in particular male
Nominated for two categories at the 2022 brit awards - song of the year for Little bit of love and best alternative/rock act
His second album Evering road and LBOL are autobiographical and introspective
Taken from second album Evering Road - a reference to the street he lived on with his ex - released on the Insanity label
The album has a confessional feeling and evolved after the breakdown of his relationship and desire to learn from mistakes and be a better man
Also includes a social comment in relation to mental health issues, responsibility and navigating the pressures of society
He has been influenced by Amy Winehouse, Adele and personal experiences
'Evering road documents a transitional stage for me, where I felt i've learnt so much and grown into a new man, moving myself into a new calm and positive space' - visually conveyed in the slow zoom into the final, peaceful, tableau shot
Counter-typical representation of men - emotional
Links to Gauntlett
Key Words:
Coming of age = Film genre, Overcoming challenges and adversity
Verisimilitude = An attempt at realism – social realist style that make the emotional narrative feel authentic and believable
Homage = Paying reference to something due to appreciation/respect – Rocky franchise with training scenes
Metrosexuality = Preoccupied with your appearance – Wears high fashion clothing (pink – feminised), Hair is highlighted and permed
Archetype = Widely recognisable type of character - Tom Grennan reflects the archetype of toxic masculinity through gang culture
Media language
Performance/narrative
Focus of the track is introspective which is signified through the expression of Grennan
His expression at the start is barely controlled anger, highlighting themes of toxic masculinity and these are juxtaposed with happier expressions as he teaches his brother to swim
Aggressive gestures and expressions of the gang members reinforce their stereotypical reps
Emotional expressions of Grennan connote frustration with the situation in which he is trapped
The montage editing sequences convey the difference between the two worlds when the young boy finds the money, confronts Grennan and throws the money in the pool
The cuts become quicker and more frantic, matching the increased pace of the music, signifying desperation and then slow to convey the emotion
Contains humour, particularly when Grennan is teaching older brother to swim, connoting the bond between them and reinforcing alternative character traits and behaviour of the older man striving to be better
The performance and narrative scenes are universal and relatable to the target audience
Intertextual references to the conventions of coming-of-age films also convey meaning
The narrative shows Grennan's viewpoint that you are a product of where you live and what happens to you in your formative years
The establishing shot of the urban, working class surroundings anchor the narrative in a realistic setting, suggesting the representation of real life and depict scenarios from his personal experiences
They place him at the centre of his community - the social housing block with the artist sitting on an abandoned sofa
The narrative is circular developing from the initial enigmatic shot of Grennan's pent up rage and returning to this shot near the end having shown his 'reason' for the anger
The narrative arc, features disruptions and a resolution that reflect's Grennan's dominant message of learning from his mistakes
The music video is constructed as a short film featuring a title and credits
The music video is filmed in real locations to create realism- urban street scenes, the garden, and domestic situations- establishes a sense this is actuality
The desaturated, earthy colour palette reinforces the sense of real life which can be juxtaposed with some of the performance scenes which are more stylised but still incorporate narrative iconography
For example, grennan performing in the red light with the bank notes drying behind him
There are binary oppositions between the relationship between the man and his brother which is happy at times shown to be tender and caring, but also that he exists in a violent world in which he is trapped
This suggests that by resolving these opposites past experiences should not define what happens in the future and this media form can raise awareness of social and personal issues
Media language
Grennan wears clothing which signifies the genre and draws attention to him as the artist - jewellery and knitwear that act as a motif to aid self-promotion
The clothing of gang members is more stereotypical and recognisable to audiences, and Grennan is dressed similarly when with them, connoting his dual person
Many of the images illustrate the lyrics but also connote deeper meanings as signifiers of place and class - social housing blocks - the audience will attach meanings to these and their association with working class youth and gang culture
The different narrative strands are dominated by the performance of the artist who acts as the storyteller- typical convention
The repetitive lyrics of the chorus reinforce his situation 'I've been holding onto pieces, swimming in the deep end' and the extended metaphor of learning to swim to survive is an important element of the narrative
The final shots of the two jumping into the open water, signify their confidence and freedom into their new life
The sequence which cuts between the two watching television and the brick coming through the window - no dialogue but the editing effectively demonstrates one world inflitrating on the other
The close up shots enable Grennan and the younger character to engage with the audience and convey raw emotion of the narrative
They also convey meaning rapidly, for example the close up of the bag of money and the picture of a man
Van Zoonen - 'The representation of the male body became exceptional, always causing uproar' - male body is subject to female gaze, men retain authority
Representation
LBOL represents youth, masculinity and self-representation including mental health in a relatable way
Toxic masculinity: The producer was keen to address the theme in the video's narrative and depict a relationship between brothers rather than a romantic one- 'Being brought up in working class areas where traits of this nature live strong, we've both witnessed the phrase 'boys will be boys' playing out'
Grennan uses the song to confront emotions and is not afraid to be seen as emotional 'I've got voices in my head and there's a deafening silence'
The narrative of the video demonstrates how representations are affected by social and cultural contexts
Features areas of society that are frequently misrepresented and under-represented
While the approach is semi-autobiographical the representations constructed are universal, challenging and raising awareness of social issues
Youth: There are issues relating to young people particularly in under privileged areas, including violence and gang culture
Grennan articulates the emotions of working class men who may feel trapped by their lives and environment and the young boy is a representation of innoncence
His focus is learning to swim but his innocence is destroyed by the infringement of the real world of this brother
Class: There is a suggestion that because of his background and social situation, Grennan's character has adopted a life of crime as a way out
There are some stereotypical representations of class in the video through the gangs in a run down, council estate area and through the choice of clothes
By using real locations It constructs a version of reality
The paradigmatic choices of visual and technical codes work together to convey a point of view about social issues, including inequality and responsibility
Hall: The video deliberately constructs characters and place as stereotypes to exemplify the way in which social groups and urban areas are often represented and to demonstrate these stereotypes can misrepresent individuals from these groups and reinforce audience perceptions and assumptions
Gauntlett: Tom confronts and challenges the notions of toxic masculinity and its effects
He offers a more complex representation of what it means to be male in modern society and offers a more diverse representation from which identities can be constructed