Analysis of Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag performance within the Music Video

The first shot of the band playing is of the singer, establishing him as the lead singer/an important figure in the band. The following shot pans into the band as a whole, from both sides, cut quite quickly resulting in the sequence seeming quick and exciting. Close-up's and mid-shots of the lead singer as he begins singing are introduced, since the lyrics are important to the narrative of the video. Footage of the band members follows, as the instruments are introduced still panning alongside the flow of the music. Then the band transfer to playing a part in the narrative by being shot in the school hallway, with students dancing to their music around the band presenting them as popular and a thoroughly enjoyed band.

All of the members are then shown singing by close-ups with the audience out of focus jumping in the background, the video is therefore interperated as feel-good and happy. As the music builds to the chorus, the editing speeds up between members cutting between the members singing together giving the impression of a build up and thereby keeping the video exciting. Throughout the video the lead signer often presents certain lines with a matching facial expression highlighting certain important lyrics.

The final sequence of shots of the band playing are set at the high school prom, shot panning speed slows down as well as the editing speed as the music slows. The lead singer changes to an acoustic guitar to emphasize this. The female character then takes over performing and the camera holds a CU shot of her, this is as the music reaches the slowest most important point. After the male lead of the music video agrees to go out with the girl, the band resume dominating the performance, the editing speed between shots quickens again and the sequence resorts back to the gym setting and shots of the students enjoying the music.

Main technical aspects of performance shots

• Lots of panning 
• The panning often matches the speed of the verse/chorus
• CU and mid-shots of the lead singer are important to establish them 
• Shots cut quickly between band members to give the impression of an exciting performance
• Changing the location of the performance adds variety and therefore interest to the video 

The location changes in the video from the original plain space to the corridor, firstly in order to incoporate the intertextuality from 'Loser' a film which the song appears on. It follows a similar plot of the music video, where a high school boy is not the most popular person and likes a girl who does't like him etc. The second location emphasizes the school setting, and how the film Loser a coming-of-age themed film, and the school location plays a massive part of that. Also since it's a performance video mainly, there is little narrative for the audience to follow, therefore adpating the location keeps the video interesting and visually appealing.