In 2002, the musical group Mint Royale released the music video for their track Blue Song directed by Edgar Wright, featuring famed British comedians Julian Barrat, Michael Smiley, Nick Frost and the main protagonist, Noel Fielding, as the unnamed getaway driver. The video is famous for being thought of as the first iteration and inspiration for the opening scene of Wrights feature film Baby-Driver (2017). The music video follows a getaway driver during a heist who times the crime specifically to the duration of Blue Song while the rest of the crew are inside a bank, robbing it.

The video for Blue Song stands as a relevant example of the correspondence of sound and vision, through lip-syncing and sound effects and exemplifies Steven Shaviro’s ideas on Glitch Aesthetics, which analyses ruptures in audiovisual media and narratives. While not including any visual glitches or disruptions, the video is a mastery of synchronisation and cohesion, Fielding’s character moves erratically in conjunction with the music, in the moments of quiet in the song, the driver does not dance, but rather, is presented with filler-moves, such as struggling with cardboard signs and distractions for passers-by, as to not slow down the pacing of the video.

There is also a blend of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, the slam of a car door or honk of a horn are timed perfectly with the beat of the track, this hyper-cohesion between both the visuals and audio of the video cumulates to create a result that is minimalist and timeless.

There is an emphasis on affect over story or logic, which results in a strong sense of energy, by removing unnecessary aesthetic embellishment, Wright is able to create a video that is simple and straightforward but equally engaging and enjoyable. The tension of the fictional heist is eased and secondary to the easy-going mood created by Fielding’s character’s concurrence with the music. The momentum and ‘glitch aesthetic’ of the video comes from the visual pacing and movement, creating a playful sensory experience for the viewer.

Shaviro, S. (2016), ‘Post-Continuity: An Introduction’

Mint Royale, (2002) ‘Blue Song’available at: https://youtu.be/dfrcZsKcVxU?si=qwxLp1Rupgm9NZlE

YouTube, (2017) ‘Baby Driver Opening Scene’ available at: https://youtu.be/7ARFyrM6gVs?si=o2KhvG1XkJFkbyrz

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