The Neighbourhood's, music video for their track, Let it Go explores the themes of the corruption of capitalism and the persecution of women.
Their opening title is sans-serif , which is done in a 1950s style font, this connotes to ideas of the old and how capitalism and patriarchal societies that should be left in the past are still here, but becomes evident later on. The title screen is inter-textual with other videos by The Neighbourhood, the same title screen is also seen in Sweater Weather and Afraid; this links to the prevalence of the artist image, mentioned in Goodwin's narrative theory.
The mise-en-scene involves a close-up of a woman doing her nails. From the start of the video this foreshadows the messages of the product and introduces the fact that this music video is actually filmed from the perspective of a woman, a housewife who holds up a positive façade in the face of blatant lack of gender equality.
In this shot of the housewife character is going about the everyday, stereotypical life of a 1950s woman. Props like cookies are used as well as make-up, necklaces, feather dusters, wireless radios and cooking utensils. These items are regularly associated with the stereotypical, domestic life of a woman during the 50s, and were considered everyday essentials for the married females of that period.
The lighting lights the room well, allowing the audience to properly see the environment she's in and let them make the sexist link to women and kitchens. Furthermore, her face is well lit so that her forced expression of positivity can be easily identified, highlighting the repression of her emotions by society of the time.
The rule of thirds is also taken into account with the character's position being off-set to the right from the centre.
In this second shot (below) the lighting on set is reduced to create a darker scene with more shadows, connoting the darker nature of this section of the music video and how this is what she actually feels when not in the 'light' of social pressure. This darker scene juxtaposes the earlier scene and involves the housewife smashing the plate of cookies, a symbol for her domestication and her rejecting it. Furthermore, the housewife's hair and make up are made to look messy to denote her anger and frustration at keeping up the façade of positivity.
Throughout the music video the pattern of scenes depicting expectation and reality are repeated, this applies the same message of repression to different situations.
This second scene depicts a bedroom setting with both the housewife and husband. The bedroom setting is significant because it is meant to present an intimate scenario when in actuality it just shows how even in the most private areas women are still oppressed. The housewife is serving the husband, who is lying in bed, she is also getting dressed into her elaborate, un-revealing nighty while he sits there in a plain white t-shirt with underwear on. This depicts the idea of gender expectations and roles in the past, more was expected of women. However, this music video seems to empower women: the juxtaposing darker scenes show her expressing herself and seeing through the fickle nature of society her higher position in many of the shots involving her husband connotes power and control. The significance of the fact that we see her pulling off her tights and putting on her bra straps links to Goodwin's narrative theory and the presence of voyeurism in most music videos. Onscreen relation to the music can also be seen by the nature of the mise-en-scene changing with the tempo and pitch of the music e.g. the use of lighting in relation to the music like previously explored.
Yet again, the lighting is bright a harsh to suggest an air of normality and positive attitude. Props like the teacup are a symbol for upper classes as well as the domestication of her role in life.
The juxtaposing scene afterwards yet again uses the light to denote her view when she is not exposed, when she's in the shadows. The positions of her hands on her face suggest pure anguish in life and the make-up running down her face as a result of tears, re-enforces her negative emotions. Furthermore, her wedding ring is clearly visible on her hand connoting that perhaps marriage is a huge factor, if not the cause of her oppression. The double of her to the right of the shot is yelling at the husband who lays sleeping, in bed. The fact that there's a double suggests that there is so much that needs to be expressed that the director needed to incorporate her twice into the shot. Moreover, the two people showing different emotions is schizophrenic imagery linking to how the patriarchy is literally driving her mad. The only proper lighting falls across the face of the close-up of the housewife on the left. This helps the audience to see her emotion in more detail.
The mise-en-scene in this shot below shows the couple previously seen in the video and another couple sitting around a table, a staple image of everyday life furthering the impact of the everywoman idea. The touching of wine glasses connotes happiness and cheer as well as wealth and is the focus of this particular shot with the wine glasses being positioned in the centre of frame. After the previous two scenes within the video this situation seems like a total fabrication to the audience and makes it impossible to miss the over exaggerated emotions of the characters.
The costume of the male characters are suits linking to the almost completely male role in business at the time, the hairstyles of the men are similar as well highlighting the generality of men and enforcing the 'everyman' character in the music video.
The setting seems like a regular middle class dining room, yet again alluding to the theme of these characters being any one. They're normal people. Furthermore, the slightly elevated camera angle connotes and idea of false security, that these people are not as powerful as they think.
The final transition into darkness during the video comments on many more issues apart from female oppression. The housewife looks at the camera and puts her glasses on the lens, as this happens the lighting turns darker and her make-up runs just like previously in the video. This breaks the 4th wall and creates the impression that the characters know the audience is watching, the inclusion of the audience increases the power of the message behind the video because it is directly communicated with he viewer. This validates the previously conceived notion that the dark scenes are from her perspective. Furthermore, her glasses being put on the camera allows the audience to literally see the world as she sees it. Afterwards we see the male characters eating money instead of food and smoking roles of notes connoting to the vulgarity of capitalism. The cigar of bank notes is a close up because it forces the audience to concentrate on that symbol. The editing increase pace at this climax of the video to possibly show the chaos of materialism and how erratic society has made people.
The Neighbourhood's music video for 'Let It Go' (2012) is a commentary on the social injustices of our time and how they seem to be just as prevalent as they were 60+ years ago. The video comments on capitalism, oppression of women and the fickle nature of people. This links well in my studied sub-culture also, because the attitude towards the division of people in the Alternative culture is that we should concentrate on love and humanity not greed and individual success.
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