This is a really interesting music video that has a narrative told by the lyrics of the song where the artist doesn't really interact with the story but is a constant figure within it. It's exceptionally effective in adding to the meaning of the song and clearly and simply emphasises the isolation of the character.
The editing of the video gives the appearance that it was all done in a single shot but I think cuts have been hidden in parts such as when the woman walks in front of the camera. However, I love the effect which really gives a sense of the story unfolding in front of the audience throughout the course of the song. The overall effect is quite a simple looking video but which effectively and powerfully shows the progression of a relationship.
The video begins with an extreme close-up of the artist's eyes, instantly drawing us into his character and connoting that we're going to hear his story. It also puts us on his side (as this is the side of the lyrics) as we're seeing it unfold through his eyes.
We then enter a very slow zoom out which lasts around 1 minute 40 seconds which reveals the rest of the set to us in a master shot. At the start his face is entirely unlit which connotes the dark place he's come from after his previous relationship. At the beginning of the zoom his face becomes half-lit from the right hand side with what we presume to be the 'hope' of the new relationship. This half-lit look ties very clearly into the lyrics of the song which clearly describe an internal conflict and being unable to move on from a previous relationship.
During the zoom out the second and only other character is revealed to us - the woman. She's standing behind his shoulder in almost sinister way and moves into shot from behind him, possibly connoting that he wasn't ready for the relationship. She is dressed in a white, smock-like dress which give her an almost ghostly appearance causing her to fit in perfectly with the ever revealing, ramshackled set.
Around this point we get a look of the artist's outfit as well, he's wearing a black jumper with a burgundy top, both very dark colours. Burgundy could connote warmth, creating an almost homely feel however, the grey tone of the set causes this effect to be lost, reflecting his lost efforts in the relationship.
The woman is stood up resulting in her face always being out of shot until she crouches next to him. This connotes that she's putting in all the effort for him to notice her, none of it is reciprocated. Even when she bends down we only get a side profile of her face.
This gives her less of an identity connoting that he's not invested in the relationship whilst also preventing the audience connecting too much with her rather than the artist. It also gives her a universality making the story easily relatable to others going through a similar experience.
She lip-synchs the line, "I brought you daffodils," which further connotes that she's invested in the relationship but then he finishes the line, "But they won't flower until the spring," connoting that he's not. Within the first few lines the whole story is clearly set up for the audience.
In the zoom out it is revealed that the artist is sat right in the centre of the shot and everything happens around him denoting that he's the main character in the story. It also gives the effect that he's lost control of his life and can't get a grip on anything to stop it spiralling out of control.
He has absolutely no reaction to the woman's advances on him which connotes the emotional detachment we hear in the lyrics of the song.
As the woman walks out the frame we get our first look at some of the props in the video - a full length mirror and a jar of flowers which add some life to the very bedraggled scene and stereotypically connote love and affection. However, even the flowers keep in line with the muted colour palette of the video, not really breaking up the somber tone despite being yellow - a colour that normally connotes happiness.
We can see the woman getting changed in the mirror, I think this is really clever and effective because it allows the camera to remain entirely still and focussed on the artist whilst still giving the viewer the ability to see what's going on in the rest of the scene.
The woman puts on a blue shirt, further adding to the muted, cool toned scene and creating a cold feel to the relationship which reflects the lack of love in the song.
She then pulls out a suitcase which is old and scruffy, fitting in with the rest of the set. This connotes that the relationship is temporary and removes any sort of permanence previously connoted by the flowers. As she takes his hand she disappears from the scene, again connoting the transience of their love.
More props fade in as she fades out, an empty bookcase (putting further emphasis on their hollow relationship) and a cupboard with a record player on it which adds to the vintage feel of the set.
Lastly, they grey wall is painted burgundy, really transforming the sorry looking scene into a nice, welcoming room. The red also has connotations of love and it shows that perhaps the relationship is working after all.
However, the fact that it all happens around him suggests that it's not him that's put in the effort but the woman. This starts to provoke some sympathy for her and reinforces the sense that he feels his life is out of control and that he's not ready for the relationship. Therefore, even though, at first glance, this seems to be a positive improvement on the scene, it actually emphasises the tragedy of the story, the red possibly connoting the protagonist's pain rather than the traditional interpretation of love.
All this is edited so it looks like the pieces of furniture appear around him, they're clearly done in separate shots but it looks like the same continuous one we've watched from the start. This is very clever and exceptionally effective.
At the start of the second verse the camera starts to zoom in again, increasing the intensity of the video as we get closer to the action as it becomes more and more fraught. The edges of the shot also go out of focus, bringing all the audience's attention even more towards the couple and making them appear trapped in the room.
The woman becomes more aggressive trying to get his attention which makes the viewer feel uncomfortable because he's looking at us instead. The effect becomes more powerful the more aggressive the woman becomes as it creates a greater contrast with his lack of a reaction.
When she hits him the camera, entirely still and stable until now, begins to shake slightly, further connoting they're troubled relationship and putting the viewer on edge. However, the movement is subtle enough for the audience to not actually notice the movement but just feel its effect therefore it doesn't take away from the video and the story.
The woman then moves out to the edge of the scene where she stands, slightly out of focus whilst shouting at him and he continues singing, looking instead at us. This connotes her insignificance to him and further adds to her universality. During this the camera also stops shaking and the shot once again becomes still and steady.
The camera then begins to zoom back out again, taking us back to the master shot of the set to lead it more smoothly into the next scene where we need to be able to see all the props.
The woman kicks over the suitcase before walking towards the camera, entirely blocking the shot and possibly signifying the passing of time. When we are able to see the screen again we can see that the flowers are dead which clearly connotes the end of their relationship.
The camera then continues to zoom in and out in time with the background singers in the song giving the video a fluidity and adding to the graceful feel its single shot effect has created.
The light dramatically decreases here which connotes the ending of the relationship and creates a cyclical feel as we're returning to the darkness of the start of the video. The light is quite orangey but, instead of being warm, it feels very oppressive, again connoting that he feels trapped in the relationship.
The woman then begins to destroy the set which the camera responds to to add emphasis to her actions, for example when she throws the chair the camera shakes, adding intensity to the action.
The light then drops right down as the set gets more and more destroyed which make us focus more on the artist and his situation rather than the action taking place around him, again inviting us to sympathise with him.
Then the harsh light comes back up slightly to reveal the broken set and the camera zooms further and further out, revealing more of the set than we've seen in the rest of the video which further connotes his isolation.
Finally the door closes on the scene and we end with the same shot we had at the start - an extreme close-up of his eyes with very little light zooming out into a close-up of his face, allowing us to see his emotion and link it to the lyrics of the song.
