This is a detailed music video analysis for the music video "us" by Regina Spektor.

1. Music Video Analysis
Song: “Us”
Music Video Link: Link Here
Song Lyrics Link: Link Here
Artist: Regina Spektor
Director: Adria Petty
Writer: Regina Spektor
Producer: Regina Specktor
Composer: Regina Spektor
Genre: Anti-folk, baroque pop
Length: 4:54
Country: America (though she is from Russia)
Release: 2004 (America) & 2006 (UK)
Labels: Sire, Transgressive
Narrative: It opens with Regina Spektor climbing into a victoria styled, dark, green
room and begins to unpack various objects from the Mary Poppins like bag, including a
piano, a rug and a chandelier as well as many other objects through the video sequence.
The atmosphere is enhanced by the utilization of stop motion in the video that gives it a
surreal but atmospheric vibe. As the video continues surreal and strange scenes such as
a sudden tinkering flower bed and toy soldiers coming out from her mouth and the
ending when she is just pointing objects back into the bag (including herself) before
vanishing altogether.
Star Image: As it is still a pop video this video diffidently shows off her presently quirky
demeanour in many close ups and medium long sots showing off her unusual clothing
taste. Regina Spektor has a broad vocal range and uses the full extent of it. She also
explores a variety of different and somewhat unorthodox vocal techniques, such as
verses composed entirely of buzzing noises made with the lips and beat box-style
flourishes in the middle of ballads, and also makes use of such unusual musical
techniques as using a drumstick to tap rhythms on the body of the piano or chair.

2. Relation of the visuals to the song and thoughts beats and technical aspects of the
music video: (analysis of the first minute)
(0:01-0:08)
The sequence opens in a long shot; the colour, props, setting and décor have a vintage
feel to them, the dark navy blue with quite dramatized floor and wall features as the
instrumental non-diegetic music begins. The lighting in the scene is kept quite dark
setting with the only light in the scene from the large 6-pane window. Spector’s
costume also has that vintage feel to it, her navy blue matching jacket and skirt suit fits
with the cloture of the room. Her make up dramatizes her piercing blue eyes and pale
skin as well as her lips with his shown heavily in this video. Her performance in the
video is similar to that of Mary Poppins or a fairy godmother smiling and making magic
and it shows that she is having fun with her props in the video with a slight sassy-ness
to it. All the props are somewhat oversized or made of cardboard that becomes an
objects witch is escalated with the use of the stop motion in the video.
In hastily sped up stop motion which fits in with the high tempo beat of the non-diegetic
piano and violin. Regina comes through the window and a bag appears in the room, she
opens up the bag and with big over exaggerated movements Spektor takes out from her
large bag a fold up cardboard piano. With a gentle tap it becomes 3D and the pushes it
over to the other side of the room. She then takes out a rug and puts it down while it
unfurls itself while he takes out a wall ornament and chandelier and sends then up to
the wall and ceiling respectfully before the scene changes and the lyrics start again. The
opening scene showed off the “lively” upbeat tempo of the song as well as the theme is
starting to show.
(0:09-0:11)
In a high angle medium shot we can see Spektor playing the piano. She sings the line
directly into the camera; still with the stop motion showing giving off the surliness of
the world of the video. She sings the line “They made a stature of us…”, she smiles into
the camera while doing this.
(0:12-0:16)
It cuts to a medium close up of Spektor as she looks through a telescope and in the
reflection it shows a drawn blimp in a navy sky, this sequence has had stop motion in it.
With the instrumental playing. However when Spektor starts singing again the stop
motion cuts and she sings again; “Then put it on a mountain top”.
(0:17-0:19)
It cuts back to the room in the first shot, as Spektor is back in the bag, rummaging
through it as the instrumental plays. She in similar fashion to the wall feature and
chandelier throws a monotone painting onto the wall with the utilization of stop motion
as well as some photos onto the piano and a stool beside it.
(0:20-0:24)
It jump cuts to a medium close up of Spektor as she lifts out a comically large map, the
stop motion cuts and she sings, “Now the tourists come and stare at us”, the expression
somewhat pained by what she is saying which juxtaposes the upbeat rhythm of the
song. The stop motion kicks in again as she flings the map onto the wall.

3. (0:25-0:35)
In a close up, and the jagged stop motion she sings with a crooked smile “Blow bubbles
with their gum”; though as she begins to say gum the shot changes to a med ium shot of
her holding a tranquilizer dart and throws it in a close up on the map of what appears to
be Korea in the map with battle ships facing at it. It cuts back to her in a reverse shot
and with a quick element of stop motion she has another dart in her hand as she poses
with her hand on her hip. She then says “Takes photographs for fun, have fun”, when
she sings “Photographs” the shot changes to behind her in a medium shot as we see her
throwing numerous more darts at the map with the stop motion element. The shot then
cuts to the map, where it has many more battleships, factories, concentrations camps,
tanks and fighter planes on it, the dozen of black, white and red darts begin to organize
themselves and then disappear. To which point it cuts to a close up of her feet as she
walks off from view.
(0:36:0:41)
In a medium shot Spektor walks back over to her bag and pulls out a bag clearly labelled
“seeds”. It then cuts to a high angle long shot as she sings “They’ll name a city after us”,
with that she throws the seeds onto the rug onto the ground. In a medium close up we
see the floor littered with seeds and with a strangle sparkle, a small city made from
tinker supplies, wires, bobbins, taps and fans sprout up into a small city.
(0:42-0:52)
In a low angle medium shot with a use of pull focus we see Spektor pouring a strange
light out of a tin watering can, as she does this the foundation below her shivers as she
sings “And later say its all our fault”, it jumps cuts and Spektor is smelling from th e
flowers that have bore from the city still in the same shot, she sings “Then they’ll give us
a talking to (x2)”then a series of jump cuts start with Spektor pouring more light onto
the flowers.
(0:53-1:03)
With a transition from the blimp from the telescope we enter a new world where
everything aside from Spektor is either illustrated or a monotone photograph of people
dressed in military attire (predominantly Nazi). As the transition happens she sings
“Cause they’ve got years of experience”. It cuts to a close up, even Spector’s colour has
been muted, and then a series of blimps fly around the shot. It cuts back to Spektor in a
close up, she then sings “we’re living in a den of thieves, rummaging for answers in the
pages”. With a shaking camera as she wanders through the photos she wanders as she
sings through. And finally see her lying on the ground staring at the newspaper
clippings that on the wall as she lies on the ground looking over her shoulder.
Conclusion:
I think that the lyrics and visuals in the music video suggest that the “Us” is in reference
to celebrities and politicians, which is supported by the lyrics in “They made a statue of
us and put it on a mountain top”. I think what the song is saying is about how “the
people” idolize celebrities and hail politicians when they do as we see is right and
beneficial for us, but how also when bad stuff happens like wars and atrocities we
blame them though they are people too living I a world which is corrupted.