In 1995 the Britpop movement reached its peak. There was a battle for success in the Pop world. headed by two groups - Oasis'representing the North of England, and Blur representing the South. What it particularly interesting about this rivalry however is not just the aspect of regional identity, but also the divide in class, as Oasis were seen as very much people of a working-class upbringing in comparison to Blur who were middle class. While there is no doubt that this theme of competition between the two bands for supremecy was exaggerated and encouraged by the media, it is interesting to see how these themes of class and status are represented within their music videos from the time.
Here I have looked at two music videos from a period where the bands were portrayed as being in direct competition with each other for success - 'Roll with It' by Oasis (above) and 'Country House' by Blur (below). By comparing them, we can see many interesting differences within the micro-elements of each video.
Lighting - This is one aspect of the two videos of which is very noticeably different from the beginning. While there is little light throughout Oasis' music video, the lighting in 'Country House' is very bright in the majority. The lighting can tell us a lot about the two different lifestyles, and classes that are being represented. The lack of light in Oasis' video and also the speed of which it moves connotes that the band onstage live a chaotic, rough, lifestyle, fitting with their working class roots. Alternatively, the lighting in Blur's video is linked to nature and the sky throughout the video, e.g. light from the sun, and as a result could be seen as reinforcing this idea of happiness within 'Country House', which is far away from the lifestyle portrayed in 'Roll with it'.
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