General Analysis

The video that I have chosen is both performance and narrative based. There are a variation of shots changing from long shots to close ups, jump cuts and straight cuts. In the video there are intertextual references to the film E.T for example the In the video there are intertextual references to the film E.T for example the hospital/government building the two children are kept in, the baseballs circling the band and the red light in the drum.

The main story behind the video is a girl who is the face of a chocolate bar brand and Harry (lead singer) breaks her free from the brand that has trapped her, she is shown to be dying when in the chocolate bar and alive when she has been broken free. The boy, who is alongside her in the hospital building, sees her for what she really is whereas the police and crowd outside just want to see a famous child.

White lies are an indie rock band this is shown by the mixture of performance and narrative. Also the alternative video of combining the narrative video with elements of the film E.T reflect the indie style. However in the video there is the stereotype damsel in distress and male hero – Harry saves young girl from being trapped in something that makes her unhappy and the young girl and young boy kiss at the end this implies that we have to be in a relationship to be happy. 

I think that the band and video appeal to a late teen audience because of the age of the band and the relationship element. Also the E.T theme running through would appeal more to a younger generation. The record label is niche but this is not clear from the video because is looks professional.