This is the link for their "Dog Days Are Over" video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGrx6etMl0w
And this is the link for their "Raise it Up" video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9tXxO5fYfo&feature=channel
From watching both of these videos it is easy to see that there is a definite theme with both of them. Florence + The Machine like to have a sense of fun in their videos, in both we see people dressed up, for example we have clowns and people dressed up and covered in bright paint in the 'Dog Days' video and everyone dressed up in the 'Raise it Up' video in togas and other outfits that remind you of greek mythology. Both of the videos use bright colours in the costumes or in the background set, for example coloured flags/bunting and glitter.
The videos are both filmed in quite natural settings, 'Raise it Up' situated in fields with surrounding trees or in long grass and near a lake. 'Dog Days' is situated in woodland throughout. Both of the videos are filmed somewhat during the day, giving the videos a summery film and using the suns rays as an advantage. 'Dog Days' however is filmed in the night as well, however the set lighting glows brightly on the characters and still allows the theme of the bright colours to remain as well as the mystery of the whole video to stay intact. I really like how the 'Raise It Up' video uses overlapping techniques and it could maybe be something to use in the video.
I think that the genre that would be most attracted to these videos would be females, as the videos certainly have a feminine feel with the extravagant costumes, excess glitter and the general summery feelings that run through the videos.
Representation for the two videos is good for males and females, however the majority of the people in the videos are white. I don't think this was intentional however it may be something to think about when making our music video. The videos use an age range of about 20-30 which means that younger and older people have perhaps been overlooked. However, I don't think that they would have fitted in well with the overall feel of the videos.
The narrative of the 'Raise It Up' videos is quite clear. Florence's lyrics talk about Midas, the King from Greek Mythology, and also about his story where his touch turned things to gold.
"Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight"
The theme of Greek Mythology is carried through the video, with the characters dancing in togas and sitting down to a feast that could classically represent what Greek royalty may have eaten to- bowls of grapes and pig's heads. We also hear lyrics about a sacrifice, and this could be represented in the video, when the table that Florence is lying on becomes a coffin and she is put on the lake and left to drift away.
The narrative in the 'Dog Days' video is a little harder to understand in my opinion but this could just show that Florence didn't nessacerrily want to have a story in her video that went a long with her song. She could have instead just wanted to stick with the interesting looking videos even if they have no relevance. However there is lyrics in the song that talk about her running for her life.
"run fast for your mother run fast for your father
run for your children for your sisters and brothers"
This could be reflected at the beginning of the video when Florence is shown to be running away from something through the forest.
The videos communicate a meaning of dancing, fun, bright colours and glamourous/individual outfits, summer and they have a general natural tone to them. We need to consider these things when making our music video to make sure we get a feel for what Florence + The Machine's music videos are about.
Both of the videos also show Florence as quite a powerful female, with the men in the videos often bowing down to her or respecting her as someone who is above them in the social status. We need to make sure that we incorporate this into our final video piece as it is something that occurs quite frequently in Florence and the Machine's videos.
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