The music video does have a western theme to it, this is reinforced by the mise-en-scene through location and costumes. Throughout the video this theme is reinforced although the song isn't a country song so therefore we see a genre cross-over. The initial start of the song sounds similar to the 'cowboy standoff' tune which is played in films when there are two characters having a stand-off.
In the beginning we see an over the shoulder shot from the back of the girl in the car (0.5) The effect of this cinematography brings the audience into the car with her as we can see things from her point of view as we are looking past her shoulder out of the dash board. Outside it is just a horizon however in the next shot after her car breaks down (0.12) we are put back in the same position and see a figure, we are seeing this from her point of view so are unaware who it is.
The next shot is a long-distance establishing shot where we see her car and a man on a horse in front of her. It appears like a 'stale-mate' or standoff situation, like mentioned above with the western theme reinforced. I think in this shot it is key to look at the mise-en-scene. Her car is black and his horse is white, however he is dressed in all black. Black is normally associated with villains and evil and white is seen as a pure, innocent and good colour. As he is dressed in black we may assume he is a villainous character however the white horse could make us uncertain in this so at this point the audience may feel confused about whether they trust him or not. We see the stereotypical western items, the bull horns on the front of the car, the cowboy hat, the horse and the cowboy boots. When she gets out of the car we see she is dressed in all black, she wraps a fur coat around her but once she reaches the horse and the man she drops it. This could signify that she is letting go of any protection and revealing herself to him. When she gets out of the car a shot is shown of the horse and man, the camera zooms out, it then changes to her as she puts her coat on and zooms in on her face. This zoom suggests that she is focused on the man and is desiring him. The audience is brought into her face and we can see her smile confirming that the other view was probably her point of view. It can also show how the man sees her and how she sees him.
When he carries her into the tent it is dark and the tent cloth appears slightly red, this could suggest that he doesn't have good intentions or there is danger inside the tent.
When the chorus starts Zella performs and lip-syncs to the song, this is a convention of alternative pop because it means the artist is selling their song through performance and the audience may be more engaged. In the narrative she is also the main character which does conform to the conventions of having the artist as the main character and performer. This is so that the attention and all focus is on the artist and it helps them to sell and create their star image. This is similar to Melanie Martinez's video as she performs and lip-syncs whilst also being the main character in the narrative. When creating my own alternative pop video this is a convention I will consider as I think it is useful to reinforce the artist's image. [Picture insert]
The lighting used in the video shows how perspective of lighting can really be used to show someones emotions or how we perceive them. When the shot is directly on Zella the lighting circles around her face highlighting different parts of it. Here are some examples how in the same shot she appears differently:
The cinematography while she is lip-syncing shows aerial shots however they are moving to create this idea of hypnoses, which is the title of the song. The lighting also reinforces this with the various colours, creating moods and feelings for the audience.
With both videos they use video footage which appeared to be slowed down, this gives a smooth look to the video and there is more chance to show the narrative develop and give people time to understand it. When she is climbing onto the horse this is used, her movements seem to be slower than perhaps hopping onto a horse would normally be, this exaggerates the movements. In carousel it is also used when she is on the carousel in the bridge part of the song, the slow motion shows her struggle.
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