This is a classic music video from the 80's and I love it, I think the concept's great and, like the other videos I've looked at, I like how it has a defining feature, something that makes it stand out; in this case, that feature is the production's use of rotoscoping to create the lifelike animation used when she enters the comic strip. This is possibly something I could create myself or I could use the idea of having two people from separate worlds interacting, possibly using effects on one and not the other such as having one world in black and white and the other in colour. I think this is an interesting idea to explore and this is a great video to take inspiration from.
This is also a narrative video which follows a clear plot and therefore follows a similar structure, introducing the characters first before launching into the story. I believe this is very effective.
The video begins with lots of still, hand-drawn images cutting to each other in time with the drum beat.
We immediately see the face of the man, with the camera zooming in on his picture which connotes that he's our protagonist.
Interestingly, they use a lot of zooms, both in and out, at the start of the video. I'm not sure if I like this effect, I don't really like zooms on camera as I feel they can sometimes make it look amateurish and clumsy.
They have played the images together to create a stop-motion animation of a motorbike race however, they do not run quickly, instead each image stays on screen for marginally too long for it to be a smooth animation.
However, I like this effect as it makes it feel more authentic and connotes that it's part of a comic book, not a TV animation.
When the lyrics start we cut to a high angle shot looking down on the comic book, denoting that the images we'd seen were from the same story.
Then we see a low angle shot looking up at a girl and her turning a page, denoting that she's the one reading the book.
We then get a two-shot of the girl and a waitress delivering coffee, denoting that she's in a café.
The girl is dressed all in white which contrasts to the dark clothes of the waitress, connoting that she's the good character and the one who we should connect with as white has connotations of innocence and purity. It also links her to the black and white comic book she's reading as the overriding white colour of the book matches her white outfit. This foreshadows the later events in the story, her entering the comic.
It then cuts to a master shot of the café, further denoting the location of the girl, however, our view of her is obscured by the net curtains across the window, separating her from the rest of the people in the café.
This connotes her role as the protagonist and the white of the curtain also connects with her clothes and the white of the comic book.
The close-up of her face connects us to her by allowing us to read her emotions more clearly and the fact that we can't see anything other than her connotes her fascination with the book.
They then use structuralism to connote the connection between the man in the comic and the girl in the café by using a close-up of his face then cutting to an extreme close-up of her eyes and then back again.
This makes it very clear that the narrative is going to involve the relationship between these two characters.
Immediately after we get an extreme close-up of the man's eyes before he winks - something we know a comic shouldn't do.
The extreme close-up puts emphasis on the importance of this action, connoting that this idea is going to be the basis of the video.
Then we have a mid-shot of her at the table with an animated hand reaching out of the comic towards her.
The use of the mid-shot gives us more of a view of the setting, effectively contrasting real life with the world of the comic, connoting that the hand is not only inviting her to explore the comic, but also to escape her own reality.
This is further emphasised through the wide shot of the rest of the café which is composed of mostly dull, muted colours, except for a man in a red shirt in the mid-ground, just off the centre of the shot.
Red connotes love, foreshadowing the future relationship of the two characters and the shot of excitement this offers to her otherwise boring life, connoted by the shot of colour the shirt offers on the muted background.
After a final extreme close-up of him and her, reaffirming their potential relationship, there is a close-up of her taking his hand in the centre of the composition, connoting the significance of the moment.
There is a fade transition to a two-shot of them both in the comic, denoting that she's just entered the world of the book she was reading. The two shot connotes their budding relationship and foreshadows their future love, also linking to the lyrics of the song.
There is a wide shot of him leading her through the white comic, setting the scene to confirm that they have left the world of the café.
He leads her to a window where, when stood behind it, he becomes real.
The background of this is clearly shot in a studio against a backdrop designed to look like the comic world.
He then begins to lip-synch the song to the girl, leaning in and out of the frame so part of his body's cartoon and part of it's real, emphasising the effect.
This is intercut with shots of the band playing on the same background, giving an image to the audience of what they're listening to, all with close-ups to fit with the pacing of the song.
There's then an 8 second clip of them on either side of the mirror whilst the camera pans around on a 180 degree curve to show both of their real forms.
This is very effective and symbolic of how they're worlds keep them apart by physically putting a barrier between them, keeping them both in separate forms.
We then get a very interesting effect on the musicians where a part of their body is real and part is cartoon.
This is a clever way of experimenting with the effect to make the music video more interesting for viewers whilst still getting screen time for the band.
We continue to get interactions between the cartoon girl and boy with cutaways to the band for a further 10 seconds before the story cuts back to real life and we see the waitress in the café looking at the empty seat the girl was in. This shows us the real world and serves as a somber reminder about the finite nature of the fantasy - the comic story must reach an end.
This shot is composed so the waitress, who is the main focus of the shot, is actually in the background connoting how no-one had previously noticed the girl's absence. However, she is also completely central, linking to how she's the main focus of the shot but also to how the girl's disappearance has now been noticed by the real world, connoting that the fantasy is coming to an end.
They have done a mid-shot on the waitress when she screws up the comic book, connoting the significance of this action, further foreshadowing the end of the cartoon relationship and causing a significant change of tone in the video.
There's then a tracking shot of her walking through the café to the bin with the screwed up book which is intercut with clips of the musicians.
The use of the band helps build tension as the music builds as we can see the more intense playing, making the viewer more aware of the change in the music. The waitress does an over-exaggerated throw of the comic into the bin to connote the turning point in the love story when everything must end.
This is further connoted by the close-up shot of the bin.
Immediately after this, inside the cartoon world, the couple get attacked by men and are forced to run. The attacker runs into the foreground of the shot, stopping in the centre, connoting that he's the immediate source of danger that the viewer should be concerned with.
He then smashes the window between the two characters, shattering the illusion that they could ever exist in each others worlds.
This is shown in a mid-shot, slightly closer in than before to connote the significance of the symbolism.
The couple then run down a long corridor cutting between camera angles to increase the pace and build tension.We feel as though we're between the couple and the chasers as we see the couple from behind but the men from the front.
This puts us right in the middle of the action, effectively engaging the viewer in the video.
This effect is increased by a low camera angle used as they turn a corner, elevating the couple in the viewers eyes, connoting their status as the 'heroes' whilst also making the viewer feel small and therefore vulnerable in the situation, emotionally engaging them in the situation.
When the couple reach a dead end, the camera zooms in towards the chasers, ending in a two shot which contrasts with the following shot which is simply a close-up of the women.
This makes them appear outnumbered or, at least, lacking in power and connotes an imminent danger.
They continue to be shown in separate shots, connoting their vulnerability, until a few seconds later where they're shown in a two shot.
However, the camera is quite far away, making them appear small and they're in the centre of the shot, causing them to appear overwhelmed by the wide background which surrounds them. All this builds sympathy in the viewers towards the characters.
When she climbs out of the painting, we get another low angle shot, further connoting their status as the protagonists and their potential as a couple, hinting that it might not be the end of their relationship.
We then get a close-up of the man with the wrench in the foreground and in the centre of the shot, connoting that the attackers hurt, and possibly kill him.
This cuts instantly to a ceiling fan, a very mundane object which denotes that we're back in the real world.
This cuts to a high angle shot of her on the floor, connoting she's come out of the bin where the waitress threw the comic book.
Her white dress is stained which denotes she's been physically hurt by what happened in the comic however, it also connotes that she's been emotionally hurt by having to leave the man in what she knows was a dangerous situation.
There's a close-up of the waitress, then one of the girl, connoting their equal surprise in the situation. It cuts to a close-up of the girl reaching to get the comic out of the bin, again, using this camera angle to connote the significance of this action.
There's then a low angle shot of her running out of the café which mimics the angle used when her and the man were running through the comic.
This could connote that their relationship isn't over or, at least, that she's been deeply effected by what happened and these events will influence her real life.
There's a panning shot as she runs into her room, keeping up the tension built by her swift exit from the café by not stunting the flow of the video.
We then see a series of still images that denote the rest of the comic story which are intercut with close-ups of the girl's face, allowing us to see her emotion and therefore connect and sympathise with her.
In one shot, the girl looks up as the camera zooms in on her face, connoting that something of significance is building.
On the next close-up of the comic book a special effect starts on the cartoon man and he appears in the hallway.
The next montage of shots are all very short and cut between him and her, creating a hectic feel denoted by the man's behaviour - flinging himself against the walls as he changes out of cartoon form.
The hectic tone is also created by the fast paced cuts between a high range of shot types used - close-ups (mostly of the girl), mid-shots and long-shots.
When he breaks free from his cartoon form the shots stay for longer on each of the character's faces, connoting that they've made it through the challenges of the story and are free to be together.
The video ends with her walking out of the frame towards him in a very romantic manner.
It then cuts to an image of them on a magazine cover overlaid with a cartoon version of them kissing, creating a little ambiguity over whether he's joined her world or she's joined his.
Overall this video is really good, I love the effects put on the comic book parts which make it look jumpy and authentic. It's very distinctive and memorable, with the cartoon element as its defining feature making it stand out amongst the sea of other 80s videos.
Another fantastic analysis - just missing one word: rotoscoping!! This is the process of drawing over film or video frames to create an animated version of the original footage. There was a version of Lord of the Rings done in this way somewhere in the 80s. And it's coming back into fashion.
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