Let Forever Be

1. Textual Analysis 1
Chemical Brothers - Let Forever Be
Camera
Similarly to other music videos the camera work is particularly important as there are different styles
used in different genre. Throughout the video there are a wide range of shot types and lengths, but it is
noticeable that there is not a single static shot meaning that the camerawork reflects the genre in that it
keeps if flowing. There is a particularly large amount of zooms both in and out used where it focuses
the attention of the audience on a particular person of object. Unlike the camera styles used in films
the focus of attention in music videos like this is slightly off and some of what is happening is actually
outside the shot. This is because in this genre (Dance/electronic) there is a lot happening and its tries
not to get the viewer too focused on one particular object or scene as they are constantly changing and
not on screen for a very long time. Because the shots are so long it is hard to define what each shot is
as they all seem to zoom and pan.
Sound
The sound as music videos go is pretty simple. Because they are advertising the song the song is only
heard. Obviously what is onscreen is synched to what is heard so at the beginning the drummer is
seen drumming but the sound is on the track. There is no on/off screen non-diegetic sound
throughout.
Mise en Scene
There is no definition of what has to be in a music video which allows a lot of freedom when deciding
what in it and where. Although this is true this video has only a few locations but they do seem to
differ quite a lot. The video starts on a street with the drummer but them zooms out and pans into a
bedroom but by the end is cutting between these and a shop. These areas being the ones lit naturally.
The others used are those done on a set/stage are obviously lit artificially. These lit sets range from a
lot of different things but used multiple times e.g. beds and clocks.
Editing
In keeping with the pace of the video, which is slow, the editing is too. There are lots of shots longer
than 5 or 10 seconds. What is particularly interesting is that there are no straight cuts in the entire
video as fades, dissolves and zoom transitions are used to move from shot to shot. This makes it seem
like the video is actually one long shot whereas it isn’t. Effects are used straight from the start splitting
the screen into 9 different shots. The effect at the end is particularly noticeable as it fades out in a kind
of whirlpool effect. The editing that most stands out though is the transition from the multiple people
to one and vi ser versa. These shots had to be very precise and use very smart software to blend and
unblend like it does.