OASIS ARCTIC MONKEYS

The work of W.I.Z

As we have seen, W.I.Z has worked with several high profile British artists, and there are connections that can me made between the videos. This can be seen the following video….

FALLING DOWN BY OASIS

FALLING DOWN BY OASIS

This video can be described as archetypal of the work of W.I.Z. In it, he uses the narrative technique of telling a story, by using intertextual references to display Oasis’ opinions on the life an treatment of Princess Diana. In the following few slides, I will pinpoint several important parts of the video and analyse them….

An important point to note is that although the video is clearly about Princess Diana, her name is never mentioned.

In this part of the music video, W.I.Z displays the unbalanced state of mind in which Princess Diana found herself in during the marriage to Prince Charles. In this clip , the main actress in the video is lying across the floor, signifying her decaying state of mind. Also, W.I.Z’s decision to show several items scattered on the floor. This connotes the collapsing nature of the woman’s mind, as her entire life has fallen to pieces.

In this clip, W.I.Z uses the notion of looking technique to display the lack of confidence that the woman clearly has. Also, the way she is holding up her hands is synonymous with the way a child is treated by a parent that is helping their child get ready for a visit. This connotes that the woman has little control over her life, and that she has to be checked before she goes out in case she causes an issue.

In this section of the video is shown as the rejection of the woman by Oasis. By doing this, W.I.Z and Oasis are suggesting that they were unhappy at the actions of Princess Diana, and most likely her reluctance to break away from the constrains of marriage with Prince Charles when he had an affair. As this screenshot shows, the handshake rejected by both Liam and Noel Gallagher is a severe break from royal protocol, and this is therefore suggestive of Diana’s breakaway from the Royal Family.

At this part of the music video, we see the woman in her secondary personality, as a member of the Royal Family. W.I.Z constructs the shot so as to show the distance between Diana and the rest of the Royal Family. In this shot, the audience can see a large gap in between herself and the people to her left and right. Another technique demonstrated by W.I.Z is the fact that the woman is the only person in the shot wearing another colour apart from black. This connotes the idea of purity or a funeral, perhaps on behalf of Diana’s time in the Royal Family.

This shot is the pinnacle of the music video, as it is finally revealed for sure that the woman is based on Princess Diana. The construction of this shot shows the audience the cold relationship between Diana and Prince Charles, and this is done through the woman being positioned behind the shoulder of Prince Charles, connoting that she is constantly overlooked by her husband. Also, the presence of the Royal Family in the background suggests that the family decided that Diana was not suited to the royal life, and therefore kept her alienated.

Breaking the trend…..

Although most of W.I.Z’s music videos are often done with groups from the indie/Britpop genre, there are several examples of work of his that could be considered as unconventional for him.

MARILYN MANSON

‘The Fight Song’ by Marilyn Manson

SHAKIRA

Te Dejo Madrid by Shakira

WILL YOUNG

All Time Love by Will Young