This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race // Fall Out Boy - Andrew Goodwin Evaluation

The music video 'This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race' by Fall Out Boy displays characteristics from Andrew Goodwin's ideas of conventions of music videos.

Firstly, it demonstrates genre characteristics, such as the use of a stage performance at the beginning and the end. This is used in other music videos matching the 'Pop Punk' genre such as Sum 41's 'In Too Deep'. Secondly, its lyrics and visuals contradict each other. Thirdly, there is a relationship between music and visuals, for example at 0.29 there is a cut between a producer and then to the band. Furthermore, Goodwin says that 'The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artists and the artist make develop motifs which recur across their work' this is prominent throughout Fall Out Boy's work. Within this particular music video this shot :

is from another one of their music videos. Throughout they also have recurring close ups of the band and those within it. Additionally, Goodwin also describes music videos to 'Frequently reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body' this music video does both of those. The use of the cameras throughout the beginning sequence of the music video and then the use of the magazines also. Making the female body voyeuristic is also something done throughout in multiple scenes throughout the music video in shots such as 1:30 and 2:31. Finally, there is use of intertextual references used again from the bands earlier music videos such as the shot above and also the bassists costume of the black make-up around the eyes and the lead singers hat which became frequent throughout their later music videos.