I love this music video, I think it's really interesting with the use of the shape matching of the circle throughout the video. I also like the fact that it carries a narrative because it makes it more engaging.
It's made up of a series of very short, often close-up shots which could make it feel quite chaotic but actually create a fast paced, compelling storyline which the viewer is able to follow.
Also, everything isn't served to us on a plate e.g. we're not given any information about where or who they are other than several close-ups which we have to piece together to work out what's happening. This makes it more engaging as the viewer has to really concentrate on what their seeing and consequently comes are invested and involved in the story. It also keeps it interesting and makes it much less likely that the viewer will zone out and just listen to the music, something that I often do with music videos.
It begins with a shot of the pink planet, immediately capturing the viewer's attention because it's something so out of the ordinary and it foreshadows the later supernatural 'nod' in the plot.
I also find it interesting and effective how they immediately contrast the pink planet (something so unnatural and out of the ordinary with the eye - a connotation of humanity and what viewers would perceive as normal and natural. This links to the odd, ambiguity of the supernatural storyline and makes us question whether it's even happening at all.
It then cuts to two glasses, one of juice, one presumably of coffee, both very mundane things, further distancing us from the alternative, supernatural plot which was connoted at the beginning.
We then get a view of the circle on the guitar whilst it's playing, this is really effective and I love the imaginative use of the shape matching.
Then we start to develop out plot. They've used circles to start establishing the characters which I think is really clever. First we meet the girl through the hoop earring, cigarette and afro hairstyle.
The earring connotes youth, fun and fashion; the cigarette connotes a rebelliousness to the character and her hairstyle denotes her looks and ethnicity.
We then get a master shot of a round café table where we see the two drinks we had close-ups of before creating a cohesion and familiarity, as if we've always known the character.
It also denotes that she's having drinks with someone, we don't know who this is yet so it creates a feeling of mystery and intrigue therefore engaging the viewer in the story.
This is where we get our first shot of the singer lip-synching the song. I think this is effective in this video, although I do find that cutting back to the singer can sometimes distract from the storyline. However, to combat this, they've created a sense of continuity by continuing the circle shape into this section too making us feel like she's integrally involved in the story, thus effectively incorporating the artist into a narrative music video - something that isn't always easy to do as a link has to be generated between them and the story.
However, the camera zooms in towards her face at a low angle giving her more power and authority in the story, raising her above the characters, almost like she's controlling the narrative.
The camera is steady but also panning around her which creates a movement which makes the transition between the action and the stationary singing smoother and better fits with the upbeat pacing of the song.
She never looks into the camera but keeps the fourth wall firmly established making the viewer feel more comfortable engaging with the video and keeping them enthralled in the story rather than reminding them that they're watching a music video.
They then set the scene of the club, still using circles such as the speaker, spinning record, disco ball and a shot looking down on the girl's hair.
This instantly denotes where they are and connotes a freedom and excitement that comes with nights out, dancing and music. Within 3 seconds they have a location, mood and the characters there already established - its a very quick and effective method of telling a story which, again, fits with the fast pace of the song.
Furthermore, the lighting is very different in these shots, it's much more coloured, especially with blues and reds.
This further denotes their location in a nightclub and also connotes the mood of magic and something 'out of the ordinary' that is often associated with love. This also relates back to the usual colouring of the planet at the start, creating that recurring sense of something usual and supernatural throughout the video.
We then go into one of the longest shots in the video - an 8 second stationary shot of fertilisation.
This draws all our attention to this process and emphasises the importance of this moment in the narrative. It also slows the pace right down, further connoting it's significance and making the moment feel special, increasing the catharsis at the end of the video.
This is then immediately contrasted with a shot of the earth with a spaceship flying towards it, a supernatural occurrence that is in huge conflict with the clip of a very natural phenomenon we just saw.
It is also 8 seconds long, connoting that this moment is as important to the narrative as the previous one.
On the next cut back to the artist, this feeling of the unusual is continued as she stretches her arms outside the circle which, up to this point, everything had been contained inside.
This is very effective at catching the audience's attention and adding to the air of intrigue created in the video, all of which links to the superstitious title - Wishing Girl - which has supernatural connotations and links to 'greater powers', here symbolised by the aliens.
This is continued throughout the section very effectively with most of the frame being within the circle but with certain elements breaking out such as the guitar neck and the hand playing the tambourine.
I love the symbolism of 'breaking the mould' which this creates as well as it's simple, very interesting and unusual effect.
This is used frequently through the rest of the video, breaking the wall between the story and the screen, creating the effect that this is a small part of something bigger than itself, possibly giving it more of a universality and appealing to it's audience.
This is further symbolised through the use of the wider universe being outside the circle but the hole being within it, it makes it feel like we're observing a single spot in a huge array of stories adding a whole new dimension to the story and connoting that our planet is tiny and insignificant in the face of the universe - I love it.
We then get some diegetic sound of hospital beeping with more mundane images of a baby scan and a hospital bed.
This brings us back into the story and focuses us on the natural elements by creating more verisimilitude.
Even in the static shots of the cigarettes and soup, the camera is spinning which keeps the pacing up and makes them flow together more fluidly by creating more of an action match.
The camera is always moving, either forwards or backwards or rotating whilst remaining steady, not handheld. The constant spinning means the camera is almost always at some degree of a canted angle connoting that something isn't right through the whole video - linking to the supernatural elements peppered throughout it.
It also creates an almost dizzying effect, like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, which could link to the implications of drug use connoted by the man smoking and the use of vibrant green and blue lights which clearly contrast with the balanced colours used in the 'everyday' shots.
We then reach the climax of the video where the man is driving the woman to hospital when he sees the spaceship.
However, rather than this directly harming them, it simply distracts him, causing him to crash the car - a natural rather than supernatural accident. This effect is also added to by the diegetic sound of the tyres screeching on the road, again achieving verisimilitude in this particular section emphasising the human error over the supernatural occurrence.
This is interesting as it makes us question whether the ship was even real or simply a hallucination induced by the drugs connoted in the previous frames, was the spaceship ever there at all?
I love the use of the circle when the girl's thrown through the windscreen and the glass is coming out of the circle, this makes it feel almost 3D, like the glass is coming towards us and isn't contained within the story.
The narrative is then continued through the circles once again, with the camera movement and rotations remaining present through the whole thing.
The canted angle is especially emphasised when the man is sat in the waiting room, connoting that something's wrong, therefore foreshadowing the death of the girl.
We then enter a really odd part of the video, almost like we're being sucked into the black hole we saw earlier in the video.
It's very strange and may be a nod to the drug use of the man.
I'm not overly keen on the effect, I think the rest of the video has balanced on the line between natural and supernatural very effectively but this tips it over the edge, completely losing the realism that has been created throughout the rest of the video.
Has he stopped taking the drugs after the accident causing the supernatural elements of the video to stop? Is he no longer trapped in the circle of addiction?
The lack of the circle allows us to get a better view of the location of the artist - it's inside a very unique structure that echoes the winding tunnel we have just been through in a more realistic way therefore creating a sense of cohesion and continuing the sense of the unusual.
After the shots of the artist we get a 5 second long shot of the pink planet we saw at the beginning, again creating a sense of cohesion and bringing the supernatural element of the video back round again. However, this time there's someone falling towards the planet, this is very effective and maybe connotes the leaving of our natural world and entering that of the supernatural.
Upon closer inspection I've decided that it's the male character falling towards the planet, perhaps connoting a relapse into the drugs.
However, the shot of him at the end with the baby connotes that he's recovered and returned to the natural world, perhaps saying that that part of himself has been discarded as he has grown to love and look after the baby. This is a very moving shot as it reveals that the woman is dead and shows the connection between the father and son. This shot breaks the rules of the whole video; previously everything has been central, adding the videos uniqueness and unusual feel, but here we see him in the 1st third of the screen and I think the camera is handheld, making it ever so slightly less steady than in the rest of the video.
This makes it feel more human, adding to the 'naturalness' of childbirth which is hinted through the whole video.
However, right at the end, just when we think he's broken free, the circe reappears around him, creating even more ambiguity in the ending and completing the cohesion of the video.
Is he still trapped in the endless cycle?
I really like this video! I think it's really clever in it's technical elements and cinematography as well as in the narrative and mise en scene. I love the colours in it, they're all very vibrant and lovely to look at, almost enhanced, hinting to the supernatural elements yet again. I find it very pleasing to look at and would be really interested in looking at creating a similar effect in my video.
The use of the circle makes it stand out and very memorable, this has been the most interesting video I've watched.
I also love the ambiguity of the messages and concepts, how every viewer may interpret it differently and see a new side to the story. All in all it's one of my favourite videos I've watched.
I really like the idea in this video too -really original and captivating to watch. Well chosen - it would be easily to achieve something very similar with the equipment we have. Excellent analysis.
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