Textual Analysis 2

1. How to save a life
by The Fray
‘’Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend,
somewhere along in the bitterness’’
‘’And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I
known how to save a life’’
An alternative rock record released in
2005 under Epic Records by American
pop rock band, The Fray
Writers – Isaac Slade, Joe King
Producers – Mike Flynn, Aaron Johnson
The original music video was released
in 2006 and premiered on VH1, an
American cable television network
The recurring themes for the video consisted of light and the stopping of time
The video was released on the bands VEVO channel;
TheFrayVEVO and has achieved 106.3 million views
to date
The videos thumbnail is as the image
shown to the left, it shows a close up
shot of a girl staring directly
into the cameras . This
creates a connection and
instant intimacy with the
potential viewers of the
video and those looking by chance

2. The notion of voyeurism
looking and the
of the human body …
Andrew Goodwin
The video is composed through the use of
intimate close-up shots of various characters
and musicians.
Some of the characters first initially shot are
shown later in the video, this time holding
some kind of emotional development. For
example, a young girl is initially shown looking shocked, saddened and
disturbed. She is then featured in a later close up shot smiling with a
seemingly different mood. The use of these double featured characters
creates a storyline for the video itself. This adds depth to the video and
creates intrigue and speculation amongst the viewers regarding the
meaning of the song itself. This shows the characters have been on a
journey and draws links between them. This can also tie a link between
the start and end of the song. The song has a shift in the emotions it
produces and presents a contrast. This links the music to the video
“And you’ll begin to wonder why you came”
Deeper meaningful shots were also used in
the video. One of the first features an
extreme close up focused on an eye.
Another shot focuses on a hand blocking
the intimacy felt through a close up shot.
These relate the video to real life and
represent the problems faced in everyday
life e.g. anxiety and privacy

3. The notion of voyeurism
looking and the
of the human body …
Andrew Goodwin
A number of shots are interlinked through the editing technique
of jump cuts. The initial high angled shot showing the group as a
whole. The next shot shows the group from a longer distance in
the background of a shot. The handwritten word LISTEN is shown
in the foreground on a white relatively transparent background.
This shows a clear effort to make the watcher aware of the sudden
change in the shot. This is shown through the change in angle,
shot distance and the additional affects layered over the image.
This creates a link between the music and the video. Changes in
the keys, pitches etc. of the song are shown by an abrupt change
in shot. This is also to strengthen the storyline of the video. The
first action results in the audience being made aware of this group
of children. The next shot creates a sense of intrigue and mystery
& suggests the word listen is significant to these children. The
next shot shows a close up of the children from the original high
angle. Around 10 children are featured in this close up as oppose
to the previous whole group. This creates more of a connection
between the children and the watcher as they are learning more
about them as the video progresses and their storyline intensifies
and grows throughout the duration of the video, resulting in them
becoming more and more interested to watch the video progress
“As he
begins to
raise his
voice
You lower
yours and
grant him
one last
choice…
Drive until
you lose the
road
or break
with the
ones you've
followed”

4. The relationship between
the music
and the visuals…
Andrew Goodwin
Step one, you say we need to talk
He walks, you say sit down; it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
These images are all featured during the
reciting of these lyrics
A relationship between the music and visuals is
originally formed when the word ‘talk’ sung in the
]quoted lyrics and the visual with the word ‘LISTEN’
imprinted in a black handwriting style font coincide. The word ‘LISTEN’ emphasises the action the Fray are singing about and gives
us an insight into this interaction. It gives us a view from a character involved, as we view the word as one said/shouted from one
character to another in a dialect scene. This creates a storyline and a sense of intrigue for the viewers to follow the rest of the
video. The hand written aspect also gives a personal touch. This is an example of how a relationship between the music and the
visuals can enhance the both of them and pull viewers in through an emotive feel and a reaction which creates intrigue for the
watcher and provides them a connection to the music video, this in hand producing a connection between the viewer and the song

5. The relationship between
the music
and the visuals…
Andrew Goodwin
Emotions are the bonding tie between the
music and the visuals in the Fray’s music
video. Various emotions are displayed
visually and textually throughout the
video to present different depths
These images all show emotions
throughout the video. Various numbers are
featured at the beginning of these emotions
The first textual scene in the video features the word ‘one’ in the
foreground with the band performing live in the background. As
the video progresses, more emotions are featured. These emotions
are all featured after a number, for example, the text ’22. CRY’ is
shown in the foreground of a scene. The
technique used which increases the
number as every emotion is portrayed
creates a storyline and gives the video
direction. Two consecutive scenes
portray two separate emotions. The first
scene writes ‘22. CRY’ and the second
scene writes ‘23. ACCEPT’. This links the
two emotions together, drawing
speculation as to what has led one
emotion on to the other. These emotions
are stereotypically associated with grief
or a breakup; the sad stage and the
acceptance stage. This adds depth to the
video and gives the reader an indication
as to what the music itself is about
through what the visuals portray,
creating a relationship between the two

6. Technical aspects…
Camera work, mise en
scene, editing…
Andrew GoodwinEDITING
The editing in this video combines simplicity
with abstract fantasy. The minimal shots of the
band performing are contrasted with the shots
combined with high-tech edits, for example,
a vivid blue edit has been applied to the butterfly on the right. This creates
a contrast throughout the whole video, enhancing the song itself through
the shock and intensity the video gives. This idea of hyper-reality
suggests the song itself could have these extravagant elements to it which
increases the listeners focus on the lyrics. This, in hand could increase a
listener’s connection with and opinion of the song. There is a lack of
continuity editing through the video, this is only apparent when the shot
shows the band progressing with the live performance section. There is a
lot of cutaway and jump cutting techniques used which creates a manic
and unsettling feeling due to the fact nothing is simple or straight forward.
This, draws the watcher in and increases their desire to watch the video
textual effects through out the video. As
seen in the extracts above, various words,
specifically those emotive, are featured
on top of shots. These have also been used
in the video to present a characters
internal thoughts and emotions out
loud. This provides a personal level of
emotive skill and can create a connection
for the watcher with the character
There is a focus on

7. Technical aspects…
Camera work, mise en
scene, editing…
Andrew GoodwinCAMERA
WORK
A lot of close-up/extreme close-up shots
are used. This enhances the personal feel
the song itself has and establishes an
intimate connection with any characters
These images all show various
characters throughout the video in
intense shots. These mix of close-up
and extreme close-up shots show
create attention amongst the viewers.
The video appears to be more complex
due to the fact there are a large number
of different characters all with,
seemingly different stories. These shots
could also be penned as reaction shots
as specifically the one showing the
young girl crying, they show some form
of portrayed emotion as a reaction to a
certain situation. These camera
techniques play on a watchers
emotions/feelings
“Lay down a list of what is wrong, the things you’ve told him all along and pray to god he hears you”
There was a lot of
extreme-close up focus
on various objects
throughout the video. A
blue butterfly was
amongst these subjects.
These extreme close-up
camera shots have been
used to show the
significance these
subjects have in relation
to the video and the
various character’s
stories throughout the
video. This is an
example of how various
camera techniques can
tell us the hierarchy of
various subjects within
the video
cameramovement
cameraangles
camerashots

8. ‘How to save a life’
The album by
The Fray…
Analysis
The main subject of this front cover shows a warm-toned decorated tree
edited to the shape of a lightbulb. All significant parts of the lightbulb are
there, including the base, which shows the lightbulb is more prominent in
the image than the use of the decorated tree. A lightbulb is stereotypical of the
phrase ‘bright idea’, that the ‘bright idea’ phrase relates to the music the Fray
have produced for this album. This creates interest for album itself through
the visuals of the album cover. This particular cover focuses on fantasy as
oppose to reality, which creates intrigue amongst the buyers of the album
due to the fact nothing literal is given away.
The back of the album is mainly
taken up by a photo of the band.
The main common convention
(featuring the track list) has been
used on this album. Other
conventions e.g. the barcode,
credits etc. have also been used.
This slightly contrasts the front
cover of the album as the non-
reality theme distracts away
from the stereotypical album
cover. The back cover has been
designed simplistic and minimal
Album covers