Chase and Status are a mainstream Electronic/ Dance group. They have only recently become much popular and many of their songs have now reached the charts, including the above, Lost and Not Found. The video itself is presented through a narrative style; Chase and Status are most well known for this kind video approach and often expose dark and silenced crimes, for example, gun crime, drugs, wife beating and prostitution. What makes their videos unique to any other within this genre is that typically electronic/ dance music presents their music videos as the typical nightclub scene, sexualising their characters whereas Chase and Status portray anger and heartache in real life crime scenarios. This is strongly presented in the above video.
The video for Lost and Not Found presented in a narrative style, portrays the finding of a 'missing' girl. Set in a lower class hotel, it exposes what happens behind closed doors, for example, the taking of drugs. The contrast between the warm sunset lighting on the outside and the shadowy, darkened dingy lighting behind each hotel room door suggests that a life of crime is a dark way of living. Showing only the outline of the figures, suggests that those who turn to drugs loose themselves and begin to live an unknown and unsteady life. The use of both the lower class hotel and the dark lighting during the scenes featuring the crimes, shows that Chase and Status do not wish to glamourise this type of lifestyle. This is in contrast of many other videos in which present the use of drugs etc as a glamorous way to live, in which many consumers then aspire to follow.
The video itself begins with a teenage boy riding his bmx bike along a footpath, to then notice a missing poster for a young girl. The effect of not starting the music as soon as the video starts is that it sets the scene and builds the atmosphere. For example, the diegetic sound of the bike wheels clacking, suggests time is ticking by. The ticking gets louder and more frequent as it builds up to the entering of the music.
What I most admire about this music video is the use of the different camera and editing techniques. The entire video is taken in one shot. This gives the effect that the viewer is part of the story, walking through the hotel balcony and looking into each hotel room. This style of camera work, is both unusual for the electronic/ dance genre, as well as any other. For example, within this particular style of genre, the fast pace beats and drops often works well with frequent quick moving shots. However, Chase and Status challenge this with their singular shot, moving round the scene in one smooth motion. Using long shots for fast pace music is a style that I am hoping to include within my own music video, as it breaks the stereotypes for this particular genre. The continual use of slow motion editing enhances the videos heartache and devastation by slowing down time making the characters reactions more visual and intense. This is a style of editing that is expected within a Chase and Status music video. This technique is also an idea that I am hoping to recreate as I believe it makes the atmosphere more dramatic and challenges the typical conventions of a electronic/dance music video. Although Chase and Status like to push the typical boundaries for their music videos, they do follow the technique of their being a narrative change on the drops within the music; for example, the big build up and drop for when the missing girl goes with her 'kidnapper' towards the end. This encourages the story to still follow the beat and pace of the music, for example the build up of smaller crimes at the beginning, leading up to the climax of both the music and the story.
Throughout this music video it does not feature the artists themselves only the characters. Much like the band Daft Punk, it then focuses the viewers attention onto the music and in Chase and Status' case the narrative story. It encourages consumers to focus on the message the video is trying to put across, for example about the serious issues of crime in the more unfortunate areas of society. Many other less well known artists that produce electronic/dance music often choose not to have a music video as their purpose isn't to visually entertain but to create music for the consumers to enjoy. This then effects their purpose for the public, for example, their music is more likely to appear in nightclubs or remixed rather than the charts.
The use of only one location, one take and simple editing suggests that this video was made on a low budget. However, for this style of music video, the lower the budget, the more realistic the video comes across to its audience, being the young adults ranging from 16-25. Analysing low budget videos will help to gather ideas for my own work that are much more possible for me to recreate and develop.
As the video begins and ends with the same character, the teenage boy on his bike, it gives both an opening and ending to the video. He sets the scene by focussing on the missing poster sign, then ends the story by cycling away from the crime into the distance, to then fade out. This gives the narrative style a complete start and finish.
From analysing this music video, I have gained a better understanding of a mainstream electronic/dance music video. Although the band Chase and Status have a different style to many other artists, they still include the typical conventions of a music video aimed towards the young adults age range.
Heidi Nockels
