Analysis of Digipak, Magazine Advertisement and Promotional Music Video - The White Stripes

The White Stripes -

• The White Stripes were an American alternative, rock duo in Detroit, Michigan from 1997 -2011. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar and piano) and Meg White (drums and vocals).
• Their successful and critically acclaimed albums White Blood Cells and Elephant drew attention from a large variety of media outlets in the United States and the United Kingdom, with the single "Seven Nation Army" and its guitar line becoming their signature song.
• The band recorded two more albums, Get Behind Me Satan in 2005 and Icky Thump in 2007, and dissolved in 2011 after a lengthy hiatus from performing and recording.
• Their music featured a melding of garage rock and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance.
• The duo were also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which featured a simple color scheme of red, white, and black — which was used on every album and single cover the band released.
• Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American major record label established in 1958 as the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group (WMG), and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. Warner Bros. Records was established on March 19, 1958, as the recorded-music division of the American film studio Warner Bros.
• Warner Bros is among the many record labels the duo were signed to during their career from V2, Third Man and Sub Pop.

Digipak Analysis -

Magazine Advertisement Analysis -

Promotional Music Video Analysis -

Seven Nation Army

From their album 'Elephant' this song is one of their most well known songs they have released since being formed in the late 90s. The video itself is performance and concept based focusing largely of the duo themselves combined with many effects added in post production.

Lyrics Analysis -

Timeline -

• 00:00 - 00:30 = Music starts instantly, many effects were added in post production such as the overlapping of shots, transitions and filters. This performance based video with elements of concept focus heavily on the duo themselves, fades and cuts allows the audience to focus on the details of the video. The man seems to be the focus of the video with his figure being the largest and the most noticeable on the screen. Their signature colours of red and black are seen throughout this time frame and many others also. Gender stereotypes are being subverted with a women playing the drums, a rather masculine instruments yet she is shown to be playing them.
• 00:30 - 1:00 = Here we really see the focus being put fully on Jack, as the music intensifies his presence because more dominant and the influence of his partner is rather unimportant. As the music becomes more fast pace so do the cuts, transitions and general action on the screen. Lip syncing is used sporadically create an uneasy atmosphere, the erratic cuts create a sense of being disjointed which in a sense correspond to the meaning and lyrics of the song.
• 1:00 - 1:30 = The action of the main chorus and intense music follows onto this time frame, the clear juxtaposition between the bright reds and crisp white's are something of a re-occurring theme through out The White Stripes work and material. This balance symbolizes both good and bad, and each colour represents the two members of the duo. The same symbol that was shown at the beginning of a white triangle appears again and is introduced through a vade/overlap transition. Animation is soon incorporated with the use of skeletons marching, they tie in with the strong sense of red and therefore compliment each other well.
• 1:30 - 2:00 = The presence of the women starts to become more common, she even is lip syncing at certain points allow to distinction between her voice and Jack's is hard to make out, supporting the idea that he is the front face of the duo. A retro/vintage atmosphere is something that carries out through the video, this may also be due to the date of the video therefore the quality is rather different to more modern bands but nevertheless those elements are still present. The speed of certain tracking shots are slowed or sped up when showing certain details and this reflects the importance and relevance of them to the lyrics and the video itself. 
• 2:00 - 2:30 = The actions and gestures of both people in the video match up with the lyrics, this depicts how the video itself is a direct representation of what the lyrics are trying to say and the meanings behind them. The entirety of this 30 seconds is simply instrumental, the guitar riffs and drum beats are intense and loud, and it shows the more rock side of the alternative genre. The shots themselves are rather long yet they look fragmented and irregular due to the effects that have been edited over them to make it look like there was a magnitude of different shot lengths and sizes.
• 2:30 - 3:00 = The intense music continues into this frame for the first 10 seconds until the pace of the song and the video are slowed down to signify the beginning of a new verse and the end of a hectic and loud chorus. Subtle bass guitar strings being plucked can be heard as the screen becomes rather dull with the contrast of the red and white with the black has become rather prominent. This could hint at the song being rather negative and depressive, the black represents these emotions and the sudden and sporadic hints of colour contradict that.
• 3:00 - 3:30 = The image of an elephant in red appears at 3:09 and has links to the album this song is a part of which is also called elephant. This is a symbol of strength and power which is reflected throughout this video and song due to the meaning behind the lyrics and the actions of the video. The fact it has been chosen to be presented in red shows how important that colour is, not only in this particular video but in the duo's music as a whole. The lyric 'all the words are gonna bleed from me' has links to the colour red in the video, therefore the red could symbolize blood and have negative connotations.
• 3:30 - 3:59 = Much like in the previous times frames, the instrumental chorus is supported with fast pace shots of the duo playing their instruments and embracing the intense vibe of the music. The guitar starts to fade and so does the music to mark that the song and music video is coming to an end. This is accompanied with a zoom shot onto a black shadowed figure of Jack's face which is zoomed onto also and eventually plunges the entire screen to darkness. The production company for the video and when is was filmed appears in white text at the bottom of the screen in a rather basic font once all the music has stopped.

Mise en scene -

• This shot comes at the start of the music video, it sets up the scene and shows the audience that this video has been created mainly in post production. The darker colours and older feel reflect a deeper meaning behind the lyrics. Also, the concept of a women playing the drums is a subversion of stereotypical behaviours as more often that not we find men playing the drums in the alternative genre.

• This GIF shows that Jack dominants the majority of the video, since he writes, sings and plays instruments his presence in the video is more frequent that his partner. The zoom in shots on different shots of him, lip syncing and playing instruments make he seem rather talented due to his variety of skills. Once again their signature colours of red, black and white are extremely prominent throughout the video.

• The introduction of an animated red elephant creates links between the album this song was taken from and their own preferences as a duo. The elephant represents strength and the fact that is red could possibly symbolize either danger or love that are emotions relevant in The White Stripe's career and personal life. The stark contrast of the red elephant and Jack's white top provides a sense of balance between the two bright colours.

• This final key shot comes at the very end of the video, it shows Jack's shadow being zoomed in on and taking up the majority of the screen which plunges it to darkness. The fact that the video finishes with him still being the main focus re-emphasizes his importance and the duo and how he is more the face of the band themselves. This subtle effect also acts as a creative way to end the video as appose to just dipping to black.