Naughty Boy: La La La Evaluation

'La La La' is currently a song in the UK's official chart and features a very interesting music video. The 'La La La' video narrative shows a child being shouted at abusively by his father and then walking out of his home to move through various settings first meeting a man wearing facepaint and then meeting a traffic warden with an unusual mask covering his identity. The three characters among with the boys dog move through a more deserted setting following an abandoned train track to a cave where they leave the boy to face a mysterious lord.

Narrative

The storyline of this video has relation to the Wizard of Oz with the bizarre characters on a journey of discovery by following a deserted train track much like the characters in the Wizard of Oz followed the yellow brick road. This is based around a 19th century Bolivian legend involving a young deaf boy who runs away from his abusive home and family life; as he leaves the young boy acquires a stray dog that keeps him company. As the boy goes on his travels it becomes apparent to him that he has the ability to heal peoples troubles by screaming however his screams are rumoured to be so loud they could cause death in themselves. The first use of the boys ability is in reparing the old mans heart and the legend then goes on to state that the old man and the boy meet a disfigured man who is cursed by El Tio because he didn't worship the underworld. The boy was told that anyone who could hear El Tio would immediately fall under his control and El Tio is based within the desert which is where they make for in order to find El Tio in a cave. When they reach the cave it states that only the young boy enters as he is deaf and would not be able to be seduced to El Tio's control and would use his ability to break the curse.

In the video this is represented in the way that the boy is represented much like Dorothy from the Wizard Of Oz and moves through a journey whilst helping people on the way. The dog featured in the video is called Chow Chow which translates 'little lion dog' referencing it to the lion from the storyline of the Wizard of Oz.  The theme of the song is based around characters covering their ears and singing 'La La La' when faced with verbal abuse which relates to the deaf boy from the Bolivian legend.

Mise-en-scene

 Make up has been used in this video on the old man sitting in the gym which helps make his character distinct and also relate into the story line, the make up makes him look very old and ill and this could signify why he is given a new heart later in the video. Costume is also closely related in the way that the traffic warden is wearing a unique mask, this could represent that he has some kind of diformity and relates back to the young boy healing peoples troubles.

The setting and large props in this video is also very important to the story line as they have an abandoned rusty track to follow immitating the yellow brick road from the 'Wizard Of Oz'. The props are derelict and worn showing they are traveling towards abandoned teretory maybe connecting the fact that something bad has happened there and people have been killed or ran away just as in the legend where El Tio is living in an abandoned desert due to him scaring people away.

Camera

There are lots of mid shots used within the video in order to show the characters in more detail and help the audience gain an interest and connection with them. Tracking and panning shots are used throughout the video to help narrate them travelling on their journeys through various settings without having to keep cutting to show the surroundings. The tracking shot of them walking up the abandoned train track is head on to them and also helps the audience read facial expressions whilst making them feel like they are over watching this journey rather than a part of it. The idea that they are on a mission to defeat could be shown as it is like the three together are dominant and the camera is backing away from them.

Editing

The cuts in this video are still conventionally to the beat of the song and also in relation with the lyrics and aiding them with shots to help tell the narrative. The speed of different shots has been clearly altered throughout the video as an effect. For instance at the start when the father is shouting at the little boy it is in slow motion; this could represent that the childs mind is thinking and does not function as fast as an adults or it could also show how he is attempting to block out the abuse from his father.

Sound

Due to the playing of the track there is no diegetic sound at all during this video. The only introduction of non diegetic sound is right at the start and the end of song where a quiet 'white noise' type track is introduced; this could signify the fact that the boy is deaf.