Disclosure - Latch Music Video Analysis

Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ASUImTedo

Music Video Analysis: Latch - Disclosure ft. Sam Smith

Artist: Disclosure

Song Title: Latch

Director: Ross McDowell & Ben Murray

Release Date: 8^th October 2012

Genre: Dance

Label: PMR

The video was released on YouTube on the 9^th October 2012. The artist is not well known however the genre is not niche so it would’ve received quite a lot of recognition. It was also shown on the homepage of Soundcloud.com and the Official Chart Update where the track would’ve gained a lot of popularity.

The mainstream channels that would have distributed this track are those such as MTV MUSIC, MTV Dance, The Box, 4Music and KISS.

The music video is a concept based video around the theme of liking or loving someone and the embrace between them. It does not tell a story specifically however we as an audience see 3 different scenarios played out within the concept based video. The theme of the music video is all about the embrace which works well in the music video due to the successful use of editing and camera techniques in the music video. Firstly the editing techniques there are a lot of cuts to the different scenario have probably to portray the many of embracing someone in different situations. The transition effect allows for quick movement while keeping the viewer engaged. There is also a lot of slow motion used to suggest the feeling of the embrace to the audience. Then there is the camera work. There are a lot of close ups, extreme close ups and medium shots on parts of the body that  that embrace e.g. holding hands, kissing, hugging etc. this allows the theme of the music video to play portrayed well.

The mise en scene of the music video adheres to the genre. Dance music is for everyone in the sense that it’s catchy up beat and uplifting; it is obvious that the directors have tried to capture this in the music video by getting people from all walks of life in the scenarios. The audience is shown what seems to be a married couple, young lovers and homosexual lovers all in the music video. They are each dressed for their environment increasing the verisimilitude of the music video for the audience. Furthermore the use of actors fits into the theory of the male gaze but also the counter theory of the emerging idea of the female gaze. This is because all of the actors are physically attractive so will appeal to the audience.

The target audience for this music video as the casual listeners of the genre and the artist, however because of the type of genre the song is it is fair to say that the target audience is quite large rather than limited. The Uses and Gratification Theory offers some reasons for why audiences would watch these videos such as; to relax, escaping from problems, filling time, finding a basis for conversation and social interaction, satisfying curiosity and general interest, getting intrinsic, cultural or aesthetic enjoyment, to connect with society and emotional release. The main reason mostly social interaction as this video was widely popular and an emotional release as the theme of the song is all about emotional embrace.