REDUNDANCY AND ENTROPY

The Vaccines – ‘All In White’

Redundancy is the result of something which is expected or predictable within a music video. An example of this would be within the pop genre you expect to observe dance routines and performance based elements. These examples are typically seen throughout the pop genre.

Entropy is the result of unpredictability to what is normally seen within a music video. Examples of this would be anything within the video that would be complete abstract from the viewer would except to see.

Within this video ‘ All in White’ there are clear representations of redundancy and entropy. At the beginning of the video the first entropic feature includes a shot of a snake on some rocks with a plain white background, showing the contrast of the snake and making it clearer to the audience that it is in an entropic location. This is an entropic feature because it’s an unpredictable element you wouldn’t expect to see within a video of this genre. The snake and the location it is seen within are both very out of the ordinary and do not match any of the other shots within this video. By showing this entropic element at the beginning of the video of it entices the viewer to keep watching and to discover the mystery behind the video.

The way the visuals are matching the song is a redundant feature as the tension builds in the song so does the video, as you can clearly see the cuts becoming faster and the slow motion showing more action. This is redundant because nearly every music video matches the tempo and mood of the music with what appears on screen.

There are some slow motion shots of various people getting together around a bonfire and setting off fireworks. This is a redundant feature as many videos of this genre feature similar scenes of people partying and having fun, and is a very generic scene seen in such videos. The location itself is a redundant feature it is a common scene from many indie styled music videos.

The video displays a variety of mid-shots and close ups which is a common redundant feature seen in all types of genre music videos. This enables the artist or the band to be promoted visually and allows the audience to recognise the artist and become familiar with the band. The record label requires shots like this as it helps promotes the band image and make them more familiar with the audience.

Both redundant and entropic features are displayed within this scene. The redundant feature is the voyeuristic treatment of the

woman. Within this scene we are presented with montage shots of women being treated as sexual objects purely for the pleasure for the audience to look at. The entropic feature is that this is not usually seen within the indie

genre, as indie genre usually focus on the notion of falling in love and break-ups and not

actual sex.

The visuals match the lyrics in the way that when the lyrics say “Show me low quotations” the camera zooms in on the eyes of the animal, as if it was seeing what was mentioned in the song. Having the lyrics match the visuals like this is a very redundant feature of music videos as directors often sue it to highlight what is being sang.

Later on in the video we are presented with entropic features that link back to the

beginning of the video with the snake and the rock. We are shown black backgrounds with two irrelevant subjects. By displaying entropic features like this throughout the video allows the audience to think more

about the video rather than be given an easy concept and to have an easy understanding to the video. By involving entropic features within the music video it allows their music

video to be remembered for their adventurous use of features and quirky ideas

for the music video. The subject and framing of many shots in the video is very redundant, for example shots of the bonfire and the girls in the video is a common concept. What make the video entropic is the use of these shots, as they do not flow, nor carry any meaning from one shot to the next. This makes the video a confusing montage of different shots and creates a very entropic video.

Here we see each individual band member, one after the other each performing the same actions in the same shot. The showing of the band members in the video is redundant as having many shots of the band makes their faces recognizable to the audience and helps promote them and their image.

The way each member of the band is being shown is also an entropic feature. It is strange to see four exactly the same shots in a row just with different actors, and like the rest of the video these shots are not in sync with the others and Is confusing to watch.

Between each shot of the band members is a clip of a girl slowly rising as if she was flying. This repeats after each shot of the band member and again follows no theme or structure to match the rest of the video. This is another entropic feature.

The video ends with a redundant feature as we are given visuals to match lyrics. The lyrics are; “I've known you all my life” the candle represents the love that the lyrics are explaining, as the embrace of the two figures shows the special bond between two people. By ending with a redundant feature it brings the audience back to reality as they have been on the entropic journey of the video.

In conclusion the music video has strong entropic features, that take the viewer on a strong visual journey which can be interpreted how each individual viewer wishes. This makes the video different for each person that watches it, and a very unique experience for everyone.