The video ‘Brick By Boring Brick’ depicts the imaginary world of a girl who is trying to escape from reality.
Narrative
The story behind the video and the lyrics is that a girl is trying to escape from reality by going into her own imaginary world which she has created through the books she has read. In the end however, reality kicks in and she escapes from her imaginary world by burying her past and starting a new life.
The little girl in the story represents Hayley when she was little and we know this because they are wearing similar dresses in the video and it is as if Hayley is telling us about her past.
Mise-En-Scène
The Mise en scene in the video reflects the imaginary world of the little girl as there are rose petals falling from the sky, CGI magical flowers, a castle, a magical forest and fictional characters from famous children’s stories such as Alice in wonderland, The Secret Garden and Red Riding Hood. The backyard in which Hayley and Josh from Paramore are for the video was built up as part of the set as well as part of the magical forest however green screen was used to make rose petals from the sky and for some of the flowers and trees in the video. CGI was also used to change the sky from being a bright blue to a dark with thunder clouds.
Cinematography
At the start of the video, an aerial shot is used so we get a panoramic view of the fictional world in which the video is set. Orange's and Red's have been used to give us the sense that the sun is setting and there are dark shadows cast from the trees which suggest that this 'perfect' world isn’t all that it seems . There are also rose petals falling from the sky which gives the video a magical feel to it. CGI was used to create this imaginary place as this enabled the director to be a lot more creative with the design as a studio can limit how creative you can be whereas CGI lets you have whatever you want. The aerial shot tracks through the trees and gradually zooms in on a little girl running through the grassland, she is wearing a white dress and butterfly wings. The butterfly wings are quite a significant prop in the video as they are also used on the cover of Paramore's album "Brand New Eyes". Butterfly wings also relate to the song as it says "She's ripping wings off butterflies" in the lyrics. The camera then cuts to Hayley (the lead singer of Paramore) on a swing. Hayley is wearing a dress similar to the little girl's which suggests to us that the little girl is Hayley when she was younger. The camera then cuts to a tracking shot of the little girl running through the trees and then to a wide shot of where Hayley is sitting on the swing and Josh (the lead guitarist in Paramore) is digging out a grave as the little girl runs past them. The camera then cuts to a mid shot of Hayley who is almost narrating a story by singing the lyrics in the video. There is then a low angle shot from the front of the little girl running and then a POV shot from her, showing that she is running towards a door which is hidden amongst the overgrown bushes. This idea was taken from 'The Secret Garden' where the girl finds a key to a garden and the door is hidden amongst the ivy and reflects the fact that the little girl has wrapped herself in a world of fictional stories. The camera then cuts back to Hayley who is now near the grave which Josh is digging. The camera then cuts back to the girl going through the door and looking round. The girl then looks back and the camera cuts to a close up of a key turning in a lock which then cuts back to a shot of Hayley and Josh. We then see a shot of the little girl looking back again. As she turns round the camera cuts to a shot of her feet, which tracks backwards as she walks down the path. A tracking shot of the path ahead is used so we can see where the girl is heading. There are lots of trees in the foreground near the camera but these are very dark, however in the distance you can see sunlight and everything looks a lot brighter. CGI was used for this as the trees in the foreground may have been built into the set but a blue screen has been used so that the director could make the path look longer than it actually is. The camera then cuts back to a mid shot of the girl walking down the path and looking around which then quickly cuts to a close up of a jar hanging from a tree. We then see a close up of the girl dropping her doll to the floor and then a mid shot of her opening the jar and watching a fairy fly out of it. The fairy then fly past the camera. This was also done with CGI and also reminds us that the girl is living in her won fictional world. The camera then cuts to a two shot of Hayley kneeling by the grave whilst Josh is digging. A crane is used for this shot as the camera then pans up and zooms in on Hayley. The editing becomes much quicker in this part of the song the director wanted to show more of the world as well as making sure that Hayley was on camera enough too as the main point to a music video is for fans to watch their favourite bands singing. There is then a mid shot that’s tracking backwards of the girl walking again. She looks to the left and we see a POV shot of a flower which in itself looks magical and then this cuts quickly to a medium close up shot of Hayley singing. This cuts back to the girl touching the flower which then immediately cuts back to a wide shot of Hayley singing . We then see a medium close up of the girl reaching up to touch a butterfly which is sitting on a branch. This again brings in the theme of butterflies in the song as well as being the main icon on the album cover. The camera then cuts back to wide shot of Hayley which quickly pans so that Josh appears in the shot. This then cuts to a medium close up of the girl brushing her hand against the flowers as she walks by. This quickly cuts to a wide shot of Hayley and josh again where the camera panning down. The next three shots are edited very fast and cut between close up's of the little girl and Hayley as the music starts to speed up. An establishing shot of the path ahead is then shown. The trees are flowers look very different now as they are all full of colour and everything is very bright. CGI was used to do this as the trees and flowers don’t look real, there are also lots of butterflies everywhere at this point which shows that the director was trying to be consistent with this theme throughout the whole video. The camera then cuts back to a wide shot of Hayley who is dancing and then quickly cuts back to a close up of the girl which then cuts back to Hayley dancing again. We then see another establishing shot of the magical path ahead which the girl is walking down. It then cuts back to a two shot of Hayley and Josh. The camera is panning left whilst going up at the same time and then zooms in on Hayley. This then cuts back to the girl who is now in a whole new world which is bright and there are mushrooms everywhere. There is also gold glow around the girl. This has also been adapted from fairytales as there are always story's about magical places where there a large mushrooms and pixies. This then cuts to a mid shot of a knight standing amongst the mushrooms. Knights are also commonly used in fairytales which is why the director used this idea to show the little girl was in another part of her fantasy world. The camera then cuts back to a wide shot of Hayley and then to a medium close up of the girl walking and looking around. It then cuts to a slow zoom into some fairytale characters, which are an old woman and a wolf. This has been adapted from little red riding hood. The characters and gesturing to the girl to come over which suggests that she is getting deeper into her fantasy. The camera then cuts to another fairytale character which is the Queen Of Hearts who is a character out of Alice in Wonderland. This is quite ironic as the little girl is quite like Alice who has entered a new world and is unaware of the dangers she may come face to face with. We then see a mid shot of the girl again looking towards the camera which then cuts to a pixie that is standing by a toadstool. This then cuts back to a mid shot of the girl who then runs out of the frame. This then cuts back to a Mid shot of Hayley who is kneeling on the ground, which then cuts back to a tracking shot from behind the girl who is running towards a castle. We then see a medium close up of Hayley which cuts back to a wide shot of the girl entering the castle. The camera then cuts back to a mid shot of Hayley which cuts quickly to the girl inside the castle where there are floating mirrors which has again been adapted from Alice In Wonderland. This has been done with CGI as it would have been very difficult to make mirrors looks like they are floating without being able to see the wires they are hanging from. We then see a shot of Josh digging the grave which pans up into a mid shot of Hayley. This then cuts back to the girl in the castle and then back to Hayley again. The camera then cuts to an Over the Shoulder shot of the little girl looking in a mirror and her reflection is moving when she is standing still. Her reflection is smiling and happy which is showing us how the girl wants to be when in reality she's not. We then see a shot of Hayley which cuts back to a mid shot of the girl looking worried and then a POV shot of a puppet dancing in the mirrors. This then cuts back to Hayley and then back to a shot of a scary woman in the mirrors. a wide shot of the castle is used and the bright sky outside goes and everywhere goes dark and a storm begins. I think that this represents reality kicking in as the little girls perfect world is slowly turning into the nightmare of her real life. The camera then cuts back to Hayley and then back to the girl again who is looking around very scared. We then see a POV shot of the mirrors where another scary character is looking at the girl. The camera then cuts between Hayley and the girl again and we see a wolf in the mirror. This then cuts to an over the shoulder shot and we can now see Hayley in the mirrors singing "if it's not real you cant hold it in your hand, you cant feel it in your heart, and I wont believe it" to the little girl as if she’s telling her to wake up from her dream. The castle then goes really dark and the little girl looks into her refection and see's herself transform into her normal clothes. The camera then cuts to Hayley then back to the girl looking at herself in the mirror and then it cuts to a robber coming out of the mirror which shows that the little girls world is slowly becoming more and more negative as she is imagining bad characters now. This cuts to the little girl tearing off her wings - which relates to the song lyrics "she's ripping wings of butterflies" - and runs out of the frame. We then see a medium close up of the girl looking scared which then cuts to a man with an axe coming out of the mirror. This then cuts to a wide shot of the girl standing by the exit to the castle which is very dark now. The place in the girls head which had once been so bright and cheerful has now become scary and dark. We then see a medium close up of the girl running out of the castle. The camera then cuts back to Hayley and Josh and then back to the girl running throughout the dark forest which then cuts to Hayley and back again. We then see a wide shot of the forest from which the girl came from. The trees are now all dead and everything is dark and bleak which is a massive contrast to when the forest as first shown to us in the beginning. The camera then cuts back to Hayley and Josh and then back to the girl who is running towards the door where she entered the world. The branches of trees and the ivy are catching on her clothes and legs as if trying to stop her from leaving the world. The girls fights them off and then falls over. We then see a wide shot of the world closing in on her which cuts to a close up of her picking up her doll and running out of the door. We then see a shot of Hayley which cuts back to the girl running out into the world in which Hayley and Josh are in. The camera then cuts back to Hayley and then into an aerial shot like the one that as used at the start of the video showing the girl running through the grassland, this then cuts back to a wide shot of Hayley and the girl running into the shot from a distance. This cuts to a Medium close up of the girl running and then goes back into a wide shot as we see the girl fall into the grave. there is then a wide shot of Hayley getting up and throwing the doll which the girl dropped as she fell, into the grave and then she slowly walks away as Josh fills the grave up again. I think that this represents Hayley - as the older version of the little girl - throwing away her old life and burying it in order to start again. I think that the line "keep your feet on the ground when your heads in the clouds" means that even if you are dreaming of a different life, always remember what reality is.
Editing or Visual effects
At the start of the video the editing is at a moderate place and cuts with the beat of the music. When it gets to the chorus, the visuals start to be cut together more quickly and then carry on cutting quickly throughout the rest for the song as the pace of the music speeds up.
CGI is used in every scene of the video because every location in the video needs it. For example, in the backyard where Hayley and Josh are for most of the video the background is a yellow/orange colour with rose petals falling from the sky. The world which the little girl enters in the video uses a lot of CGI because it is used for the establishing shot of the path which the girl is walking down to make it longer. It is also used when the little girl is running towards the castle and for the sky as it changes from a bright sky blue to black with thunderclouds and lightning.
The relationship between the lyrics and the visuals
"She lives in a fairy tale" refers to the world which the girl enters is a fictional world. We know this because it references fairytales and stories such as secret garden because she goes through a hidden door in the bushes into a magical garden/forest.
"Well go get your shovel And we'll dig a deep hole" is shown in the video as Josh is digging a grave through the whole video & the little
girl falls into the hole so it' as if Hayley is burying her past
"so one day he found her crying coiled up on the dirty ground" This links in to the visuals on screen as Hayley lies next to the grave when she sings this
"Well you built up a world of magic" is shown on screen as the setting for the video is the little girl's imaginary world.
The relationship between the music and the visuals
The visuals go well with the music because they cut in time to the beat and get faster and the tempo of the music increases.
Use of Intertextuality
The video refers to a lot of fairytale stories and other fictional childrens books as the lyrics talk about a girl who is living in an imaginary world. For example, in the video we see a wolf sitting with an old woman which refers to little red riding hood, a woman with hearts on her dress holding a plate of tarts which refers to the red queen in alice in wonderland, and the secret garden is also referred to as she enters the world through a secret door hidden in the bushes.
Genre characteristics of the musical style
Paramore's style is seen as 'alternative'. this type fo music tends to use a lot of guitar in the songs and Paramore defintely conform to this as they always have guitars, drums and bass in thier tracks.
How well the promo promote the image of the band
The promo promotes the band as being very artistic with their representation of thier work as they have used a varietry of visual effects in their video. It also promotes their indie/alternative rock image by being very unique and imaginitive with thier music.
Target Audience
I think the Target Audience for Paramore's video is teenagers as they are the peopel who are most likely to watch the video and Paramore's fanbase are roughly aged from 15-19 years old.
Video Two: Here In Your Arms - Hello-Goodbye
The video 'Here In Your Arms' is about a nerdy guy being in love with a girl.
NarrativeThe video is about a geeky boy who is at summer camp dreaming of being wiht the girl he fancies. He goes to the "End Of Camp Dance" and decides to make his move on the girl and kisses her.
Mise en Scene
The video is set at a stereotypical summer camp so we see people walking round in polo shirts and really short shorts. The Geeks are very stereotypical and wear glasses and geekier clothes compared to the other people. There are at least four locations used in the video which are; the dorms, outside the camp, a field, and the 'end of camp ball' which is where the key scene takes place.
Cinematography
At the start of the video we see a wide shot of two girls carrying a tennis racket each walking by. They are wearing green shorts and yellow polo shirts. In the background there is a sign which says "camp holadios" which tells us that they are at a holiday camp. The camera pans right, flollowing them as they walk and stops at the entrance to the camp where they walk in. We then see a close up of a shoe being tied, the camera slowly pans up the person and we see that it is a geeky guy (the lead singer). He is stereotypically geeky as his clothes dont match and he is wearing big glasses. They guy is looking to the right so we then see a point of view shot, of a summer camp dorm. The dorm looks like a log cabin and there are a few teenagers in there playing with a ball and chatting. The camera then cuts to a close up of the geeky guy putting sunglasses in the top of his t shirt which then cuts to a close up of him putting a comb in his pocket. The camera then cuts to a guy sitting on the end of a bed. At the top of the bed there is a couple kissing. We then see a medium close up of the guy looking depressed as the boy and girl kiss in the background. This then cuts back to the lead singer who is looking at a picture of a girl which then cuts to a mid shot of a poster saying "End Of Camp Dance Tonight". The camera then cuts to a wide shot of a guy sitting on the porch of the cabin and a geeky guy comes out to see him. At this point the drums kick in in the music and the editing is done so each cut is cut to the beat. The guy opens the briefcase and the geeky guy grabs loads of condoms for the case. The camera then cuts back to the lead singer looking at the photo of the girl, then two of his mates come into the frame and one of them takes the photo off him. The camera then cuts to a wide shot of a guy and a girl standing under a tree, this then cuts to an medium close up of the guy and girl. As the guy goes to kiss the girl , the camera cuts to a two shot of a boy ad girl who throw a ball at the guys face using a sling shot. The camera then cuts back to the boy and girl under the tree so we see the ball hit the guys face. We then see a wide shot of the cabin, and the lead singer and his two mates come out of the cabin and walk out of the frame. This then cuts to a fat boy eating cake and then cuts to two guys playing a game and the popular uy wins. The camera then cuts to a mid shot of the lead singer dancing which then cuts back to the popular boy celebrating his win over the geek. The camera then cuts back to a wide shot of the lead singer dancing again, then back to the popular boy celebrating again. We then see a wide shot of the main hall where the "end of camp dance" is being held and the lead singer and loads of other teenagers rush in. The camera then cuts back to the lead singer dancing, and then cuts to a wide shot of the inside of the hall. Theres then a shot of the lead singer approaching two girls and then they walk away, there is then a wide shot of two people kissing. The camera then cuts back to the lead singer eating and then a shot of the table where he has made the name "kate" out of parety food. There is then a shot where the lead singer turns round and we see a point of view shot of the girl he fancies. There is then a shot of the lead singer walking through the crowd, putting on his sunglasses and tapping the girl on the shoulder. He then offers her a piece of gum and theres a shot reverse shot between the girl and the lead singer. They then kiss.
The narrative of the music video is that a young, nerdy, boy is in love with a girl, but hasnt said anything to her. At the 'end of camp dance' the nerdy boy decides to take a chance and goes over to the girl and kisses her. The editing, is quite fast in some places but generally goes to the beat of the music.
Editing or Visual EfftectsThe editing in the video speeds up as the tempo of the music increases however the editing is quite simple and now jump cuts or transitions were used. There are no visual effects in the video as the narrative is simple and doesnt include any CGI.
Intertexuality
The characters in the video are based on peopel's stereotypical thoughts fo geeks and jocks at a summer camp. The geeks are made to look disgusting and the jock's to be cocky.
Genre Characteristics of the musical style
HelloGoodbye are seen as a 'power pop' group as they use a lot of synthesizers and keyboards in their work
How well the pop promo promotes the band
The pop promo suggests that the band are geeky and dont follow the trends of normal bands.
Target audience
I think the target audience for this kind of video is teenagers as they would eb able to relate to the narrativ emore than adults would.
The relationship between the lyrics and the visuals
I dont think the visuals really relate to the lyrics until the point where the lead singer kisses the girl because the lyrics talk about how the boy loves to be around the girl, and he isnt with her until the end of the video.
The relationship between the music and the visuals
The shots are cut so that the visuals match with the music, for example each shot is cut to the beat of the song and the cuts increase and decrease when the song does.
Intended Target Audience
I think that the video was intended for teenagers as they are more likely to listen to pop music and the video takes the mick out of geeks which i think would appeal to younger generations.
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