Sunday 31 July 2011

Music Video Deconstruction 1

Song: Jetpacks Was Yes!
Band: Periphery
Year: 2011


  • The video starts with an establishing shot, done with CGI, of a space landscape, with a slight zoom effect, and a fade out transition into the next shot...
  • A broad cityscape is depicted with a wide angle shot, until a quick effect reduced the same image to rubble. This introduction is all done with CGI animation. 
  • The vocals of the song start and the narrative of the music video begins, a man is depicted walking along in synchronisation with the vocal effects, and this is shot using a low angle.
  • After a few close up shots of the video's protagonist, the performance is initiated with a mid shot of the drummer beginning to play. 
  • The vocalist is then shown singing through a close up shot, and the scene changes to a long shot of the video's protagonist walking down a street.
  • The scene changes again and depicts the whole band playing, in a dark, smoky atmosphere. 
  • There are various close ups of the band as the song progresses, i.e. the lead guitarist and the drummer.
  • Throughout the video, there is a clear cut between the band's performance and the music video's narrative. Once again, there are more and more shots of the protagonist, most times filmed with close up shots or low angles.
  • As the protagonist approaches a gravestone, the narrative aspect of the music video becomes more clear.
  • The narrative is briefly stopped to focus on the song's guitar solo, and there are lots of close ups of the guitar and the guitarist respectively while the solo is played.
  • The video then takes a rather odd turn when the protagonist looks at a photo which is significantly dated and looks like it should be from the Victorian era, and there is a sudden flashback of the protagonist and his wife, who is obviously the same name on the gravestone he is kneeling at. The male gaze theory may have been implemented here as his wife is attractive, and he is remorseful during close up shots.
  • The final shots of the video are very focused on visual effects; there are shots of the gravestone cracking, burning and exploding, and whatever the protagonist touches seem to follow the same idea; much of the scenery becomes destructive. 
  • There is also a similar shot as the establishing one at the beginning, depicting the ruined city again. 
  • The final shot is simply the protagonist standing on what is left of his world after it seems to have been destroyed, looking into space, the same shot used in the beginning.  



1 comment:

  1. Good analysis. What also strikes me is the disconnect between the music and the ultra-heavy posing or posturing of the singer: this isn't Slayer but rather mainstream, female-friendly soft/goth rock (Evanescence spring to mind) but the singer prances about like a thrasher!

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