Don Broco, Hold On Textual Analysis.

Textual Analysis of Don Broco Hold On

0-33 seconds

The first 33 seconds of the video show a complete contrast to what would be expected of this genre of music. This is due to the lavish stately home setting which ridicules their other music videos to become a binary opposite to them. The editing conforms to the male gaze of a suggestive nature as it cuts to the vocalists face on a C/U to link in with the lyrics and what they are supposed to connote, which is that they are being messed around or ‘Played’. The editing is also smooth which correctly goes along the suave characteristic of the vocalist and the other band members on occasions. The peaceful overall atmosphere; which is completely abnormal in this type of genre as one would expect there to be a lot of performance and shaky/fast editing to run parallel with the fast pace of the song and energetic characters within the band. Also the irony with the attractive girls flaunting their bodies around the band contradict the lyrics suggesting that something is going on; however it could also enable the ‘storyline’ of the plot to move forward as the whole theme of lying can be shown through the girls walking around seductively close to the vocalist and what might be their intention. The irony is also shown within the first few shots when the vocalist is cradling a glass of whisky; this is mainly ironic to the fans of the band who know them quite well as it is the opposite of how they would act and they would know that they are trying to create a comical element within the video. However, at 31 seconds a general characteristic of the genre is executed, where there is a comical gesture (which also collides with the overall comical theme) as the Drummer creates a mimic of someone going to the toilet to aid the comedic features. The seductiveness of the context within the lyrics is shown through the other band members as well as the vocalist as the fast pace editing shows them quickly trying to ‘lure’ the women into the song, which is an example of the male gaze. At 16 seconds the vocalist synchronises the lyrics ‘Stick your tongue between my teeth’ with a seductive nod as to connote that he is inviting a girl to seduce him as he is her.

33- 47 seconds

 From 33 seconds to 47 seconds the video becomes less of a narrative and more of a performance video as most of the shots are of a member playing their instrument / singing into a microphone. This section of the video is especially a self-referential parody to their first single ‘Thug Workout’ as the video to the single was very low budget and self-directed/filmed. This is shown by the over exaggerated extravagant scenery such as the wallpaper and the large fireplace. The naff/camp theme is even reflected in the editing as it is similar to that of ‘Dallas’ or ‘Charlie’s Angles’ which are known for their naff show titles. The vertical wipes link to the retro styling which overall is connected to the overall style of the video and especially the location. The four way split enables the whole band to be seen at once, yet not in the traditional ways meaning that the director was trying to challenge conventions within the video. The dancing around the girls enhances the ‘campness’ of the video as their dancing is supposed to be seductive but yet again it adds a comical element to the overall production.