The 1975

“Robbers”
General Conventions Analysis
GC1: Lyrics and Visual Narrative

• The video is a mixture of performance and

narrative, as an intertextual reference to the film
“True Romance” by Tony Scott. The visuals reflect
a rockstar lifestyle, with leather, leopard print, guns,
drugs, and alcohol.
• There is narrative enigma (Barthes) at the start of
the video, but the continuation of the video clearly
denotes a toxic/abusive relationship
GC1: Lyrics and
Visual Narrative
• Carol Vernallis said that "music
videos are a visual response to the
narrative suggested in the song,
which means that was is happening
onscreen reflects the lyrics". This is
seen in the video in the robbery plot
and lyrics being matched onscreen.
• There is also a performance within
the video, with lip-synching.
 GC2: Genre Characteristics
• The genre of the song is Alternative Indie/Rock
• Alternative Indie includes darker lyrics but with
catchy tunes, often about love or drugs (Rock
element)
• The clothes are a mix between rock and indie
elements (e.g. suede leather jackets, floral shirt)
• The lighting is very soft and there are
connotations of poverty or lawlessness which fits
the genre
• There are lyrical and visual references to drugs,
alcohol, smoking, and violence
GC3: Intertextuality and
Postmodernism
• The video is an intertextual reference to the film
“True Romance” and the location/feel/costumes are
replicated, and the repeated lyrics “you look so cool”
• Several shots are also replicated from the film
• There is a leitmotif of “la poesie est dans la rue”
which is seen in various videos from the band
• The band members are also featured
GC4: Representations
• The actors are unkempt but glamorous and match
the alternative indie aesthetic
• The couple are heteronormative, and adhere to
their gender stereotypes – e.g. the man is violent,
and the woman cares for him
• The rural area gives connotations of poverty or
being an outlaw, which matches the typically low
socioeconomic or teenage audiences
• The hair of the actors is natural, and the actress is
not wearing any makeup which removes the
possible glamour, the outfits are also very simple
except for some distinct prints
• There are several topless shots of both the male
and female protagonists, which appeals to the
male and female gaze
 • There are a lot of ELS and CU shots through the
video, to show exposition and detail
GC5: • The editing becomes more fast paced towards the
end at the climax, and some handheld shots are
Cinematography shaky to denote action (Barthes)
and Editing • There is a black bar around the shots to connote a
film, and places importance on the video as well as
the song lyrics
Possible Influences
• The intertextual narrative
• The mix of outside/inside locations that arer abandoned
• Combining narrative and performance