I decided to analyse the music video ‘All I Want’ by A Day To Remember, a hardcore/rock band that are known for their strong ballads, and their collaboration of strong male vocals and guitar. I chose this song also because I, and my group want to do something similar for our own personal music video. The song I chose to analyse is about the sense of belonging and how the persona within the song, just wants a place to feel themselves. This specific music video was released on Youtube on the 30th September by ‘ Victory’ records, known for being a label associated with similar acts such as Aiden and Hawthorne Heights. From the release of the music video, it has received approximately 1,600,000 ( 20/2/2012) views over the past months, which giving an indication on its popularity.
The overall music video, has three main features and locations, one being the band set up, where the band it situated in a live instrument set up, and is seen to be playing and performing the song. The other ‘location’ is a collaboration of places and similar styled bands ,miming the words to the song, connoting that all these people are meaning and saying the words, thus making the lyrics seem somewhat universal. The other main feature of the music video is an editing stylisation ,where works and small drawings have been drawn into the shots , featuring the lyrics also. Partially for artistic value and so the viewer find it easier to keep track of the lyrics and sing a long , which this particular band has encouraged on some of their other popular videos, for example ‘Have Faith In Me’ .Where they released a ‘Sing-a-long’ version of the song.
Camera:
Within the introduction of the music video,close up teaser shots of posters and flyers of A Day To Remember can be seen by the view, immediately letting the audience know the name of the band and within the scene, various pieces of promotional flyers and images for the band, that has been used within the past years, this is to let the viewer associate the aesthetic of the band.This was also a way to let people see the new imagery for their up and coming album and songs.
The use of depth of field is used also within the music video, frequently and concentrated in use within the beginning and end of the video, used within the close up tracking shots of the flyers so only the middle third of the shot is in focus, creating a somewhat disorientating effect, however it makes the viewer concentrate and grab the viewers’ attention
The first shots of the band member, the singer Jeremy McKinnon, is established within the scene within a medium ¾ length shot, which is then shown at the beginning and then again at the end, giving the somewhat narrative to the music video a feeling of a definitive ending. The band member is seemingly writing in a diary which then intrigues the viewer. It then switches to another close up of the diary, this shot is also reciprocated at the end of the music video, which somewhat indicates that what he is writing is personal, and then makes the audience feel involved.
When the music track is introduced approximately 15 seconds in , the performance segment of the music video is seen, established by a wide shot of the entire band, and varies from the wide shot and tracking medium shots of all the members ,incorporating camera ‘shudder’ and the camera momentarily goes in and out of focus, in my opinion, reflecting the music and the shudder of music that appears within large speakers , creating a somewhat disorientating perspective.
40 seconds into the music video, guest characters are introduced within the scene, all in all within the music video , there are around 22 guest bands that appear within the music video, which reflects on the meaning of the lyrics, which is overall about the feeling of belonging within a family or a place. Showing multiple people mime the lyrics indicates that many people wish to feel that they belong, and how which their search to belong, they are together.
The shots of the various bands last from 2 lines of the song, to 1, the shots are very fast paced , commonly moving medium shots, of a variation from long shots to close ups, the location changing along with every band.
Throughout the music video, there is use of various montage shots, of singers, close ups of instruments and wide shots to capture the sense of space and environment when establishing every band. Some stylistic shots and elements that are used within the music video is the use of overlaid writing and sketches, use of canted shots and also they use a fish eye lens to make a spherical edge to the shot, which is becoming more popular within modern urban photography.
Editing:
In terms of the techniques and elements that are used within the music video , there are many highly stylistic elements within the editing process that has been used .For example, within the music video, they have used a ‘film reel’ effect where screen shots flick by at a slower rate than normal, thus allow the viewer to see the framing of the film reel. In my opinion, it is used effectively as a transition from one band to another in some sense, and the effect also may connote the disorder and break down of society.
The main editing technique that is seen throughout the montage edit of clips is the use of integrated drawing within the shots, commonly corresponding to the lyrics of the song. The drawing in my opinion makes the viewer consider the lyrics more than the visual of the bands which could be somewhat distracting at times, including the lyrics and drawings of the lyrics allows the song to be the ever present focal point. Within the constant use of the overlaid wordings, the framing the words commonly around the form of the person within the scene, or is connected to the scene or 
lyrics, of has a connection to a prop that is being held, the drawing commonly following form of the characters within the scene.
Apart from this ,it is constantly montage editing all throughout the music video, there is also use of slow motion within a band performance scene, the slow motion being employed at a emotionally charge climax of the music, the technique, exaggerate the element if the music. Also, there is an instance of subtitles used within a small band exert , within the scene that includes the band Pierce the Veil, in the bottom left hand corner, stating ‘San Diego 3:13AM’ ,stating the location and time indicates that they a devoted within what they do, and also gives them a idea of a bands lifestyle is.
Audio:
In terms of the audio , there is both digetic and non-digetic audio within the music video. Within the introduction of the music video the track is played within the scene digetically ,the audio seeming muted and of somewhat bad quality, the sound effects of pencil scratching on paper slightly heard, to indicate writing. I think the purpose of hearing the song in this way beforehand, grabs the viewers attention within its abnormality , and then again creating another cause for attention within the change of the track changing from digetic and non-digetic.
Also, there is a decision to make in terms of the digetic or non-digetic quality to the singing within the music video, because as the voice itself within the music video and track remains constant, indicating that the same person sings it throughout the music video, however numerous members of different bands are seen singing/miming it. Thus, because many people are seen within the music video singing the same thing, the viewer concludes that the audio has been added within editing, so, non-digetic, however digetic only within the performance scenes where the lead vocals member of the band is singing it.
Mise-en-scene:
In terms of lighting the colouring throughout the music video, it varies drastically depending on the artist and surrounding. Within the performance set environment ,the directional artificial lighting is somewhat dim, casting shadowing within the scene, the lighting having a somewhat tinge of blue/green, the specific colouring dulling the colouring of its surroundings , making the colour scheme somewhat muted, but it however makes the viewer focus on the band member/s within the scene, also giving the scene a somewhat pessimistic. On the other hand, the coloured light within the scene surrounds the character, highlighting the mood is associated with the character, then connected it with words that are being written down on the page, the viewer concludes that the mood of the character within the scene is somewhat intimate and vulnerable .
Within the medium one person shot of band singer the scene. In contrast the scene is darker and shadowed in comparison to the lighter purer white lighting of the performance scene, partially in my opinion ,from the viewer to be able to see all the members of the band within the scene, or however it could be connected with the lyrics and overall meaning of the song. The change in lighting from scene to scene can be corresponded to the meaning of the song, which is the feeling of belonging and finding a place you can call ‘home’ , the colouring and amount of lighting increasing within the scene with all the band members, connoting that the band can be seen as a family to him.
In terms of different colouring within the music video, in a few instance there is a flashing of orange colouring at the beginning ,commonly seen within the flashes and animations of text, the warm colouring contrasting to the colour scheme of the performance scene. The faded orange indicated a somewhat faded ‘urban photography’ look again, the vintage organ filter acting also as a transition to the performance scene.
Within the colouring and lighting throughout the rest of the music video, bar the performance section, is drastically varied over the approximately 22 guest bands, the colour schemes stretching from artificial directional light from a high angle to natural light, and shot outside, giving variation and indicating different personalities and bands.
Analysing this rock/progressive rock music video has enabled me to look at effects ,colour schemes and aesthetics that they use to effect and connote different atmosphere. The points within the music video that I find interesting and would like to experiment with the overlaying of words, to help the audience either understand the narrative within the music video, or , as used within this music video, to show the lyric ,making it easier for the viewer to keep emphasis of the music. A second that I will also consider is the used of lighting and coloured lighting, which I have been interested in doing from the beginning, to add tone to the atmosphere and to also add a somewhat stylistic edge to the music video also.
Also within the music video, there are instances of synergy within the background and multiple pieces of clothing that the band members are seen wearing. For example, when the band member from Trivium is miming that words, he performs in front of large backdrop of the regular iconography of the Trivium band, thus promoting the band through the music video. In other ways ,the music video is one big example of synergy ,using multiple bands throughout the music video, thus promoting the various bands and themselves, A Day To Remember.
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