Detailed Video Analysis

Two Door Cinema Club

Sleep Alone

Runtime: 3:50

Like most Indie Rock music videos, this one shows both the band and an on-going narrative (which run as one, rather than cross-cutting between them). There are three specific locations used throughout, the original bedroom (with the two men asleep), the ‘dream’ bedroom (with the two men awake), and the ‘dream world’.

Most of the pans used in the music videos, are done by moving the camera, rather than rotating it as in a typical pan. In the dream bedroom, the camera movements are more erratic and are most likely hand held (most likely to convey the strength of the wind in the shots), while in the original bedroom they are smoother, although they still seem to be handheld. In the dream world, the camera movements are very still and smooth, sometimes not moving at all, or moving on a dolly.

Green screens and special effects are used throughout the video, with the train and the guitar being most likely modelled in 3D and then placed on the scene. The parts with the bed seem to be green screened, with the bed perhaps on a ‘rodeo’ machine.

The scene beings with a tracking shot ‘zooming’ into the peephole. The lead singer is seen waking up and lip-syncing the song. The camera cuts to the man sleeping on the floor at the lyrics “fast asleep”. He then puts on a red jumper. At this point the other clothes on the floor start moving and coming to life. The TV turns on the camera approaches in a very handheld motion, the same happens with the light shining through the door, except the speed of the camera moving towards it is much faster. The camera motions and lights become more erratic to match the beat of the song.

At this point the other two band members wake up and the three band members are seen on the TV (two on guitar and one on keyboard) the same jerky handheld camera motion is used to zoom in towards it. The bedsheet comes to life and attacks the band, causing the scene to return to the original with the two men asleep on the floor and the lighting to return to normal. It then goes back to the television to zoom out to the blue-lit room again. A static filter is placed over the scene to give the impression that these are the band in the TV rather than the band asleep in the room. Most of the camera motions are handheld in this segment, showing various items doing strange things throughout the room. The lead singer is once again lip-syncing whilst playing the guitar.

The door then bursts open and bits of paper and feather from the pillow are sent flying around the room, as the band plays. The camera motions become even more erratic, and the lead singer jumps onto the bed to then be swallowed by himself. The bed and the lead singer are then seen falling past a skyscraper (the camera motions at this point are smoother than before) there are more shots of him lip-syncing as he falls into a giant tunnel. Smoke appears behind him and a train starts chasing him on the train tracks (fitting the electric guitar riffs that start playing behind him). They enter a forest and the lead singer pulls away from the train to fly off through it.

A giant guitar then emerges from the forests and starts chasing the flying bed, knocking him off so that he has to run through the forest, the two other band members join him from either side and the all run towards the red door seen at the beginning. The door pulls away and then the band burst through into the ruined (blue) room. They start playing instruments once again until eventually the lead falls into bed. When he falls out he’s back in the original room with the other two band members asleep on the floor still. Revealing that is was all just a strange dream.