Andrew Goodwin: To The Stars

Modestep - To The Stars (Break The Noize and The Autobots Remix)

1. Genre Characteristics
The genre of 'To The Stars' is Dubstep, and the video features many genre characteristics. There is very fast paced editing, cutting to the beat, and rapidly cutting to create a strobe-like effect, reflecting the environment in which the music would usually be played (0:30-0:40). There is also use of speed changes, with a lot of slow motion being used, particularly in shots of the band (0:40, 1:46-1:48). Many shots also appear to be shot with a fish-eye lens, to distort the footage and create an edgy, urban feel to the video, which is common in many dubstep videos.

2. Relationship between Lyrics and Visuals
There is disjuncture between the lyrics and the visuals, as the lyrics, 'Now that you've gone, to the stars, now that the storm has finally come' have absolutely no correlation to the visuals, as the performance is almost entirely performance based.

3. Relationship between Music and Visuals
There is a much stronger relationship between the music and the visuals, as the visuals are illustrative of the music, and amplify the drops and the fast beats in the music. When the music is of a slower pace, the visuals are cut slower, using more slow-mo, but as the music builds up and drops, the visuals reflect this, either through faster cutting, or more action within the shot. The structure of the music is also represented in the colour of the footage, as during the verse, the visuals are black and white, but as the music drops, it changes to colour, changing back to black and white when the verse comes back in (2:30-2:32).

4. Close-Ups of the artist and Star Image Motifs
There are many close ups of the artist; each member of the band is seen through beauty shots and close ups. The bands motif, a yellow smiley face with crossed eyes, is also seen throughout the video in a variety of ways.

5. Reference to the Notion of Looking
There is a reference to the notion of looking, because the audience in the video are watching the band perform, so there is a sense of watching and idolising the band.

6. Intertextual References
There are a few intertextual references. The video is self-referencing, featuring the actress from their previous music videos 'Feel Good' and 'Sunlight', and showing a t-shirt with the words 'Modestep make me Feel Good', which is again a reference to their song 'Feel Good' which has the lyrics 'The music makes me Feel Good'.

7. Performance, Narrative or Concept?
The video is very much performance driven, as it is almost entirely shots of the band performing at various venues and gigs, cutting to 'behind-the-scenes' footage sometimes, to create a sense of progression from gig to gig.