Oasis & Snow Patrol

Oasis – Champagne Supernova (1995)
Snow Patrol – Crack the Shutters (2009)

I chose to analyse a music video created in 1995 by Oasis called ‘Champagne Supernova’. It is an Indie/Rock video which usually means that the video will have a unique and individual idea which relates to the unique and perhaps slightly weird lyrics. The video’s are usually mostly performance based yet can still tell a story or imply meanings behind their lyrics. These characteristics apply to the Oasis video yet also to a more modern video of this genre: Snow Patrol’s ‘Crack the shutters’. Crack the shutters, was released and videoed in 2009 and also fits into the category of Indie/Rock.

Throughout the Snow Patrol video ‘Crack the shutters’ the lyrics fit the visual. During the chorus, the lyrics say ‘Crack the shutters open wide’ and a crowd of people burst into the scene and run across the set to reflect them all running to be with someone as it implies in the following lyrics. This faster visual also fits the pace and heavier beat added in the chorus. The lyrics are then visualised again as the lyric says: ‘the daylight seems to want you just as much as I want you’. At this lyric the crowd of people walk through the darkness with torches to show how they are searching for someone and also to portray the darkness and a slightly sombre mood.

Similarly the lyrics of the Oasis track ‘Champagne Supernova’ match the visuals shown. There is a theme of the rock and roll lifestyle, drugs and alcohol being implied throughout the lyrics, and also through visuals as the blurred backdrops and slow spiralling shots reflect the situation.

Although this video is less clear than Snow Patrol’s, as it is all fairly jumbled up as this reflects the random lyrics, yet this randomness and sense of confusion portrays its own idea of the rock and roll lifestyle: music, drugs,girls… Though neither of the videos are narrative based each gets across a meaning using simple shots and visuals during their performance to reflect their lyrics.

Snow Patrol’s song speeds up at the chorus which is matched by a cut and zoom out to show a wide shot so that the people running by can be seen along with the whole band. Similarly the Oasis video flows throughout the slower part yet also speeds up when the beat livens. All instrumental parts of the track are illustrated using close ups from all different angles, the instruments themselves are also focused on a lot. All of the band members seem to appear on the video an equal amount which suggests that they are all equally important to the image. On the other hand Snow Patrol’s video has no full instrumental part yet there are a few seconds where there is no singing when the camera focuses on the guitars and drums.

In the Oasis video the pace speeds up and the music gets louder with quicker shots which are slightly random and confusing as they jump from the dancers to the band, the background or distorted images. These all appear for seconds at a time which matches the confusion of the song in general. On the other hand, Snow Patrol’s video is a lot simpler and flows as zooms are usually used instead of cuts. When the lead singer is singing acoustic there is extreme close up of him which zooms out to a wide shot as the pace increase and the chorus kicks in. This makes the video appear a lot more natural and flowing.

The clothes of Snow Patrol are very normal and are nothing special which matches the non extravagant video, the band appear to be fairly normal and laid back which is easy to relate to for fans. While the members of Oasis look to be slightly wacky and off the wall as they seem almost surreal in their video. Their costumes don’t reflect this though as they are fashionable and on trend for the era which makes me wonder if they put on a lot of the characteristics in the video or if they just wanted to be fashionable!

Both of the videos are fairly simple and videoed in a studio, both bands were well established and popular at the time that these tracks were released so they wouldn’t need to sell themselves too much, only their music. Snow Patrols’ video is fairly normal and plain as it is almost like a private gig, this aspect shows how laidback and easy going there music is and how they themselves. Oasis’ video includes more special effects which would have been good for the era and also help to show the drug theme.

Snow Patrol’s video is very simple and is pretty self explanatory and the lyrics are easy to interpret, whereas Oasis’ lyrics are stranger and so along with the visuals the implications of ‘sex drugs and rock and roll’ are formed. The dancing women in revealing costumes show sexual display associated with the theme as well as distortions and slightly abstract shots showing the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Both videos are mainly performance based yet Snow Patrol manages to tell a story of their lyrics from the stage by including their crowd. Oasis could also come under the category of a concept based video as the unusual shots and visuals present a ‘different’ idea.

Both the video’s follow the same outlines and stereotypical video of being unique, Snow Patrol more down to their song while Oasis make a more original video. Although the tracks are from different decades and are almost 15 years apart the genre of Indie/Rock as not changed much making both video’s quite similar.