Point 10 - Textual Analysis (Part 2)

Here is my chosen video 'The Fear'

Here is my second video to compare 'The Fear' with; 'Wide Awake' by Katy Perry. I have really struggled finding similar music videos to 'The Fear'. Because of this, I have chosen a video which has similarities in a different way. The fact that there aren't many similar videos to 'The Fear' is what drew me to the song because it is unique and I believe I could do something different to continue it's reputation for being individual.

Similarities - Both have a sense of surrealism in them and how being famous can effect you. In 'Wide Awake' there is a very effective use of her other music videos - it is a story of how even in the midst of her busy career, she still knows what is going on in her life and is very awake. 'The Fear' is mainly about how being famous can get into your life.

Similarities between the two videos:

Cinematography: Both videos have a range of establishing shots that help create a surreal atmosphere within the two videos. There are a lot of close-ups of Katy Perry in 'Wide Awake' which really set the tone to make it a gripping music video - there are also many close-ups of Lily Allen in 'The Fear'.

Mise-en-scene: Both videos take you on a story of their lives. Lily Allen takes you on a story through her life at the moment, but Katy Perry is showing you a part of her past. The color schemes in both videos have a large effect on how the video is perceived, for example 'Wide Awake' has the darker color scheme near the beginning which brings a very magical and lower tone to the mood of the song, however in contrast, 'The Fear' has a continuous pastel color pallet throughout the entire video. There is syncronized dancing in 'The Fear', however not in 'Wide Awake' - but both videos have planned moments to assure the music matches up to the beat and the video.

Sound: Both songs have a similar instrumental background to them, as they both feature synthetic sounds to accompany them.


Lighting: Both videos have distinctive lighting features, 'Wide Awake' having different lighting to differentiate the situations. There is a much brighter light scheme (Daylight). Which is similar to the brightness of 'The Fear' as there is a constant daylight-feel within the video. 'Wide Awake' features a darker and more mysterious lighting scheme for much of the video, which makes the contrast of the brighter light more effective.