Lyrics
Count back, anaesthetise
Colours burnt into my eyes
Life for you is shades of grey
Help me, help me find my way [1]
Lost, lost, and never found
Hide your secrets, settle down
I am young and I am naïve [2]
Tell me something I will believe
Take me, take me far away
From this city's soul decay
Hid away 'til I was eighteen
Only saw colours on a TV screen
Skinny jeans and sunglasses
A fashion statement for the masses
What you're doing makes me sick
Over hyped and generic
Shine, shine like the sun
Spread your warmth through everyone
I asked you why people die
You said we all had a design
Slide into the sea
Landslide comin' down on me
I said I was into you
You said you were into me
You never answer on the phone
With your nicotine lips and your heart of stone
I look for you by the underpass
Looks like this love wasn't meant to last
You said you reap just what you sow
So tell me, where does your garden grow?
You said in time the pain would pass
Looks like the end is here at last
Burn, burn like a star
Burn a hole in every heart
Strung out on a trail of blood
Who knew the stars were not enough?
Smile, smile if you can
If you can't, I'll understand
See these stitches in my eyes
Smash computers, kill rock stars
Purge the past and waste my mind
Leave no scent or trace behind
One day when you bury me
When I wake up, what will I see?
Down, down underground
Dig for fire, dig for sound
What is on the radio?
'Cause I would like to say hello
Crawl, crawl through the dirt
Jesus, show me what you're worth
Can't you just send us a sign?
Tell us all that we're doing fine
Nights for sitting in the dark
Days for lying in the park
Wake me up from my sick dream
A requiem for this dead scene
You never answer on the phone
With your nicotine lips and your heart of stone
I look for you by the underpass
Looks like this love wasn't meant to last
You said you reap just what you sow
Well, tell me, where does your garden grow?
You said in time the pain would pass
Looks like the end is here at last
Count back, anaesthetise
Colours burnt into my eyes
Life for you is shades of grey
Help me, help me find my way
Mother, can't you help me now?
'Cause I've been drowning in the sound
Lying on the motorway
Writing songs and wasting away
My Interpretation of The Lyrics:
[1] "Count back, anaesthetise, colours burnt into my eyes, life for
you is shades of grey, help me, help me find my way"
- With
the music video opening up to a woman who is tied up in the trunk of a
man’s car, presumably once unconscious maybe from aesthetic ‘count back,
anaesthetise’.
- 'Colours burnt into my eyes' could mean when the bag is
taken off her light is blinding and the colour / light is burning into her
eyes. This is shown through an extreme close up being out of focus and
darkened.
- ‘Life for you is shades of grey’: could mean the costume’s
colour theme of black and white – shades of grey. It could also be
referencing to the book / film 50 Shades of Grey, which is a book about a
man who wants to dominate and control every aspect of the woman through
their relationship after she foolishly falls for his vast wealth and
outside charm
- ‘Help me, help me find my way’: the woman is being guided
like a dog on a leash, she’s helpless with no sight of help (revealed by
the aerial shots) her only help is the man and to follow him.
- This verse is repeated twice, at the beginning where we see the woman being dragged out of the car and along the road side.
[2] “I am young and I am naïve”
·
Due to
her lack of life experience she believed everything this man told her, never
questioning his motives as we see her being dragged along with little to no
resistanc
Representation:
The mask of the guy, his hat and behaviour might refer to:
- The Plague Doctor
- Capitano (from Commedia de'arte)
- The modern manager/a high social-class man
The pig-mans might represent:
- The impulses of the masked man
- The average modern men
Screenshots from the music video, looking at cinematography
Extreme close ups:
These are used a lot in the music video, this is to be intimate with the two characters. The two main characters are the man who wears a mask and is dressed in a suit (the band is called Funeral Suits, so this could be linked to the bands' name as there is a man in a suit and a possible death (funeral) to the woman)). This man has kidnapped the woman who is shown to be wearing a red cloth bag over her head and a white dress connotations or danger and innocence.
Extreme close-ups are used to show detail and facial expressions in detail. In these nine screenshots, the man in the mask comes across as treating and has an uncomfortable feeling towards his character, he is shown and represented as the 'bad guy'.
The woman who is shown to have the cloth bag over her head makes the audience question 'why'.
Later in the video when the bag is taken off her we get a close up of her eyes squinting as the sudden bright light hits her and she has to adjust to the light change fast. The man in the mask has two pigs which are commanded to attack her and kill her, the camera then uses a close up of their mouths oozing with what appears to be blood is revealed. Increasing an uncomfortable feeling and unsettling feeling to the video.
Close-ups:
This video is full of close ups and extreme close ups. Above are close up shots, these are used to capture facial expressions. The two characters show two very different expressions; the man is seen to be full of joy and laughter at his 'game' and the girl is seen to be petrified, confused, and scared for her life.
I'm assuming they used a low f/ (aperture) when shooting this video, maybe with a 50mm or 80mm lens to achieve the soft out of focus of the background and the sharp focus of the close ups and extreme close ups. As the focus point is very specific and accurate which creates an uneasy and a confusing effect. This focusing of in and out of focus and use of pull focus reflects the woman's confusion and allows the camera to capture her feelings and emotions.
High, Low-Angles and POV Shots:
High angles are where the camera is above the subject (the woman), looking down. This position makes characters look weak, submissive, or frightened. The third screenshot is from the POV of the man after he's pushed her down onto the floor. With the use of a high angle, the woman looks frightened and defenceless.
The first, seconds and fourth screen shot is a low angle, looking up. This shows dominance and power. Low angles are used in the first screenshot as the woman in the trunk of the man's car and he has just opened it. A POV shot is used from the woman laying down in the trunk. The second screenshot is when he pushes his foot on the backs of her knees to make her collapses onto the ground. This resembles dominance as he's got full control over her. Finally, the fourth screenshot is when she trips over her thin air and falls to the ground. The two pigs are chasing after her and she throws sand as her defence weapon. This is also a POV shot from the woman as we see what she is seeing and become sympathetic towards her.
Areal Shots:
In this video, there is a drone used with a fisheye lens to create a wrapped fish-bowl effect. These shots are used to give the audience an idea of the location, that being the middle of nowhere. This feeling of isolation increases the sympathy towards the woman as it is clear there is nowhere for her to run for help. In the third screenshot, we see the two (man and woman) walking across the field.
Out of Focus (editing / cinematography):
This is a style that is used throughout the music video, the use of blurring and soft out of focus. This is possibly used to strengthen the confusion of the woman. This also allows the editor and cameraman to pick what they want to show the viewer. The very carefully selective focus points create uncertainty of what is happening and increase the worry for the woman's safety. The fourth screenshot is when the man takes the bag off her head - the symbolises the blurriness of her sight as to her lighting has gone from dark to light, which will blind her as she scrambles to gain sight again as her life appears to be in danger from the man and his two pigs.
Two / Three Person Shot and Long Shots:
These camera shots are used as often as the soft out of focusing is. This allows the viewers to see what is going on and makes the story easier to follow. The two shots are used at a long shot when we are shown the man dragging the woman by the neck by rope similar to a man walking his dog. The leash giving the man control and power§ over the dog, which is seen here - the man 'walking' the woman dragging her along to where he wants her to go.
Over the shoulder shots are used from over the woman's shoulder this leaves the audience helpless and unable to help her. All they can do is watch from behind her and hope she will be okay.
Bottom row, third screenshot from the left, there is pull focused used. The could insicate the man's power more as the pigs act as his slaves so being blured out this empasises it.
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