The entirity of the music video 'Breezeblocks' is carried out in reversal, we see the ending first and then the characters actions continue on backwards until we see the beginning at the end of the video.
The video itself can be perceived in two entirely different ways; watching it the way it was intended to be viewed we see first; a woman laying dead in the bath with a breezeblock, who is then brought back to life by a man who we later go on to find out is married, the majority of this music video is then dedicated to the two fighting, in the end the viewer discovers his wife is locked in the cupboard and he leaves her there to walk away with the other woman.
The second way this video could be viewed is if it was viewed in a linear fashion, the man would find his wife locked up in the cupboard and go to help her, upon doing so he would find another female in the house, we can interprete this in anyway we wish to but presumably its a jealous ex, he then goes on to fight with this woman and in the end kills her.
This supplys a large amount of enigma code to the video, the question being which way was it supposed to be perceived,who is the Antagonist and who is the Protagonist...
The lyrics have been influencial on the music video providing many ideas as to what can happen, the opening lyrics, 'She may contain the urge to run away.But hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks' These lyrics have been interpreted to provide the video, a shot of the opening scene with these lyrics is shown to the right.
Most of the shots used are close ups on certain objects in the scene or what the protagonist has, for example the viewer see's a zoom in of the man's wedding ring, this is an important element as it establish's him as married and goes on to supply enigma throughout the video. The next zoom in shot is of the tap and the water running back into it, this is the first shot in which the viewer realises that the video is in reversal and that this is the end of the scenario, a back and forth motion is used between the two characters is used to help establish the story. The video itself has a very polished look with camera work being still shots, effects have been used to create a particular lighting, the lighting is tinted to make the mise en scene quite dull with no particular bright colours, this works well with the lyrics and video. The location used isn't anything particularly unusual it's a house which is established to be the male's, this makes the video appear more realistic and raw with the storyline as well.
As the woman emerges from the water the lyrics, "Muscle to Muscle and toe to toe, The fear has gripped me but here I go, My heart sinks as I jump up, Your hand grips hand as my eyes shut." This corresponds well with the video as this is the beginning of the fight between the two. The fight seems unplanned, this may to the both or just to one as neither has brought an object with them which would cause damage e.g. knife or a gun but instead household objects are used such a wine bottle.
The fight provides curiosity and makes the viewer want to continue watching so they can see what caused this chains of events, medium shots are used frequently so the viewer can see what is happening in most of the scene. A close up is used on the two fighting holding either end of a breezeblock, as mentioned earlier this is relating back to the lyrics as well as the song title,a close up then cuts away to the two's feet.
Cut away's are used quickly on close up shots when they wish to avert the viewer's eye to key factors such as the breezeblock and wedding ring, most of the shots are smooth and transition through cleanly this is due to the shots being quick long, for example in the Black Keys 'Little Black Submarines' there are many quick shots which provide cuts being quick.
An over the shoulder shot is used when the woman is holding up the wine bottle poised to throw and we see the male through the gap between arm and shoulder, this almost makes the viewer feel as though they are in the room and looking into the fight. A shot is taken under a kitchen cupboard showing the character crawling, in this shot the female is crawling backwards and dragging the male back, this perceives her as the antagonist although thinking about it in a linear format she would be crawling away and trying to pull him down, this adds to the building enigma. As the characters roll in the air back onto the worktop and then onto the sofa we see shots taken from the front and side so we can view it on multiply angles to get a fuller picture on what is happening.
At 2 minutes 17 seconds we see a brief shot of another woman for the first time, as she is crying it is believed she is someone watching the two fight but it is still unknown whether she is a friend of the woman or possibly the wife, cut away's are then used between the fight and the woman in distress, this adds to the build up. A knife is then shown moving on the floor, due to its movement it can be established that it had been used but as neither main character is hurt at that point the blame falls to the other woman although a shot then goes to her with her hands tied.
The song is very repetitive with the lyrics; "Please don't go, please don't go, I love you so, I love you so, Please don't go, Please don't go, I love you so, I love you so, Please break my heart, Hey." Due to the imagery of the fight and the crying woman its viewed as if he loves one of the two or both women so much that he is willing to hurt them so that they will stay with him forever.
Interaction is then shown between the man and the crying woman, as he looks slightly down on her showing slight superiority, through a close up of the males face there is an almost POV shot from the woman but the male looks slightly to the right of the camera as if we, the viewer were sitting next to her.
Multiple shots are then shown of the woman, from the fight, slowly backing out of the room, of her hand when she was in the water at the beginning and of the water from the tap running, this adds confusion to the scene. The man then appears to put tape back over the woman's mouth in the cupboard, pick up his jacket and leave with the other woman.
The question is never answered as to who the characters were and who was the protagonist or the antagonist but left open to the viewers perception, this provides more enigma to the story.
Well done. This is a detailed analysis and you have explored the way particular shots and angles have contributed to the enigma and the impact they have on the audience. You have explained carefully the narrative shape and again, how this contributes to the audience's reading.
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