Textual Analysis of The Club is Alive by JLS

The music video begins with an establishing shot, illustrating a club which develops the stereotype of young males as they often go to clubs. The club scenery is essential as it links with the meaning and title of the song. Medium close ups are frequently used for each singer, making it clear to the viewer who is singing and furthermore the focus makes each of them appear important.Wide shots are used so the viewer can view all four singers and the fact that they share the space of the lens and are spaced evenly yet close suggests they have a close bond. Depicting a close bond often appeals to the viewer. It is also noticeable that the four singers are in the centre of the room, highlighting their significance. Tracking shots are also used which is significant as the song is fast paced and the video consists of active characters so a moving camera adds to the active lifestyle.

As mentioned previously, the club scene reinforces a youthful mind set. Other young characters are seen in the background, dancing and drinking which further develops the portrayal of the young. The viewer gets the impression that young people enjoy this active lifestyle and party scene. There are also alcoholic drinks frequently seen which further develops the stereotype because young men often drink. They are all wearing typical, casual clothing which is the expected clothing of men of this age. What is also noticeable is that most of the background characters are women and of course, these women are attractive and so appear to grab the attention of the male singers. The male singers are frequently shown dancing with the females as they surround them. The females also wear clothing which reveals a lot of their skin. This suggests the women are promiscuous as they hover around these young men with little clothing, so women are given a negative representation. This also adds to voyeurism as this would appeal to a male audience.

Throughout the music video, there are freeze frames which relate to the music when the music briefly stops, there is a still shot. Also, when music beat becomes repetitive, the picture flickers, so the images depict the sound. There are also jump cuts which relate to the fast pace of the music. High key, top lighting is used to highlight the significance of the singer whilst those in the background are in the dark.

There is a connection between the lyrics and the visuals; the chorus contains sexual references- ‘she turns me on’ and ‘you can get up on me’ and throughout the video the males and females are in close proximity and touching each other so the visuals illustrate the words. At times the lyrics portray the video as a narrative; ‘came to the club’.

There are intertextual references in that the video is much like their other music video for the song ‘Everybody In Love’. This video was also slightly narrative and each singer is separate at times yet they all come together for the chorus to perform, just like in this video ‘The club is alive’. The generic convention of the music video is slightly narrative based because the singers are describing their journey to the club and what happens there. The video is mainly performance based because the singers dance during the chorus. It is also concept based in that there are many freeze frames and rewinds and effects which match the music with the visuals.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6cYoEu_P4