Textual Analysis of Miss Nothing-The Pretty Reckless

Visual codes
The entire video is set in a gothic looking dining room with a table placed out in the style of the last supper. This setting gives connotations of power due to the expensive looking furniture and decoration over the room. Laid across the table are various expensive objects which help highlight this idea such as the roasted pig, the golden goblet and the cooked lobsters. There is also a shot of a golden goat head which religiously commonly signifies the devil, reflecting the artist's frequent inclusion of Christian folklore and beliefs in their music. There is also a sense of romance by the use of certain props including the wedding dress and bouquet of roses which have connotations of love and a courtship which reflect the theme of the song. The first shot has an interesting composition due to the long shot used to present all the characters seated at a table similarly to the last supper. This again relates back to the band's use of religion. Throughout the video the artist, who is supposed to represent Mary Magdalene, uses very sexual and flirtatious body language which reflects the stereotypical female using her sexuality as a way of conveying dominance over the opposite sex.
Technical codes
Many of the camera angles, including mostly high angles and birds-eye view shots, look down on the artist which makes the viewer see the artist as less important as a pose to the common way of presenting them in music videos. This makes the artist look insignificant to reflect the lyrics 'miss nothing' which conveys her as this. Despite this the camera still focuses very much on the artist as they are still the most important character of the video. In terms of editing, the pace varies slightly throughout the video to match the speed of the music which also varies however it is mostly fast paced. It also follows the main beats in the music for example at the very beginning when the drums and guitar give a fast double tap, the camera cuts twice to a different shot at the same time. Both these points allow the viewer to focus on both the music and lyrics at the same time as both aid each other in evoking the narrative to the viewer.
Genre
The artist's genre is rock, however although there are some elements such as fast paced editing and close up shots, the video doesn't show many of the major conventions included in this genre such as performance shots and shots of instruments. This would be so the audience focuses more on the narrative side of the video as a pose to the performance. There is a clear intertextual reference in the video by the use of iconic figures in the background at the end of the video, more noticeably John Lennon in the green Sgt. Pepper costume, Charlie Chaplin and Jimi Hendrix. These contrast with the artist as great iconic figures to emphasize her character's insignificance.
Narrative
The video follows a very Christian theme in a Georgian looking setting based on the last supper, with the main artist representing Mary Magdalene who was a good friend of Jesus and one of his closest followers. In an interview the artist explained that the song is about a person who has lost a loved one, just as Magdalene lost Jesus, therefore the two reflect each other. The lyrics reflect the video through the artist's body language as they describe her as being 'miss guided' and 'miss used' and she says she is 'miss nothing'. This suggests that she is allowing herself to be objectified, most likely by men and her body language in the video with her being surrounded by men mirrors this idea. The way she refers to herself as 'miss nothing' also presents her as a stereotypical female by indicating her as having low self esteem.
Organisations
The record label, Interscope Records is owned by universal Music Group. They are involved loosely in the video by its product placement of Dr. Dre's "Beats" headphones which are featured in the video. In 1996 Dre founded Aftermath Records, a record label distributed by not only Universal but also Interscope Records. Not only was this product placement to help make some extra money for the artist, but also it will have been organised by the company as a promotion for one of its own biggest artists. The artist themselves has been promoted via the music video through the company Vevo over Youtube.
Audience
The target audience for this video would be teenagers of a low-middle to low class by the destructive attitude of the main character and the low clothed way she dresses both of which are associated with these groups. Also the genre of music and gothic style is more popular among that type of audience. the audience would also include people who can relate to the lyrics of the video which describe losing someone and/or like that genre of music or the artist. As well as this the various references to Christianity would aim the video closer towards a fairly Christian audience. The most likely way two step flow could be applied to this video is through fans of the style of music or artist discussing it, as there aren't any outstanding elements to the video itself which help make it more appealing to a wider variety of audiences. Even major fans of the artist would find it difficult to understand the meanings behind the video and only a Christian audience could realise the link between the video and the last supper.
Representation
There is a strong representation of gender in this video which portrays males as negative characters due to their black clothing which connotes a dark character, whereas the female is in white clothing which has connotations of purity and innocence. This is made to signify the innocence of the main character as she is used and mistreated by the males which surround her, reflecting the lyrics 'miss used' and 'miss guided' in the song. This contrasts hugely with the scenes representation of a religious setting (the last supper), which wouldn't commonly be associated with the idea of female objectification, in order to highlight how the character acts. The artist themselves have been presented wearing very revealing clothing which corresponds with her sexual, provocative character. This also portrays her as something attractive in the video to focus most of the audiences attention on her as the video's artist.