The Futureheads - Skip To The End video analysis

The Futureheads - Skip To The End

Skip To The End was released in 2006, at the height of Odd Shaped Head's "fame". Since this was also at the height of post-punk's popularity, the video should use many of the tropes associated with the genre.


The song uses few close ups, opting to go for medium and long shots more often than not, and the frame is composed into two shots. This is amplification of the lyrics, which are about the break up of a couple so the long shots show the lack of emotion and personalisation.

The setting is a large snowy field with dead trees dispersed throughout. This, combined with the black wedding suits, create an almost entirely monochrome colour palette. The dashes of colour are reserved for the roses the bride is holding and the children, a visual metaphor for the vibrant love they once had. The whole frame with the children has a slight sepia filter on it, adding further to the nostalgia value. The costume and props in this scene are those of cowboys and Indians, a game often played by children.

As the song is not particularly fast paced, it gives ample time for the band members to establish themselves as characters within the video. The performance and narrative strands of the video are interwoven, with the band members singing or playing instruments within the story. The band members are often seen together singing and each member sings alongside the characters, who are not singing themselves. This gives a clear indication to the audience who is in the band and who the story within the song is being re-enacted through.


The video opens and closes in hypnotist's office, and through the course of the video, we learn the relationship will not end well, signified by the pensive look the groom gives the bride in the final two shot. The director has created a spooky atmosphere by using ghosts in cutaways, giving the groom long arms and making the children eye make up which has ran. The imagery aligns itself with the lyrics, telling the audience the relationship will not end well, hence the title "Skip to the End".