1. PARAMORE - MISERY BUISNESS
Genre: Paramore are an American rock band. In typical rock band music videos,
it usually has 1 or more stories that are alongside the main playing of the band.
Alternating between the two, usually the lead singer is further forward than the
other, coming up-close to the camera in an aggressive manor, whilst other
members of the band are shown to be playing, guitars and drums usually. In this
music video of misery business, there is shots of the band performing in a small
room with the words ‘RIOT!’ sketched all around the walls, which is the name of
their album which featured this song. Extreme close ups with short cuts keep the
pace of the music, showing parts of the guitar, face, body and hands. Typically the
drummer is always at the back of the set. Rock videos have a lot of charisma,
enthusiasm and energy both in playing the instruments and vocal performance.
Usually darker coloursare used with both male/female singers not fitting with
the normal generic ‘clean’ image like in pop videos. Lots of movement and
frequent head shaking and knee bending whilst playing guitars are typically in
rock music videos and are a lot more hectic.
Narrative:
The video beings with a strong introduction of instrumental of a single drum
beat then bringing in the rocky guitar and Hayley’s vocals. The story focuses on
themes of rivalry jealousy, cheating. revenge and sexuality. It is a linear story
with parallel editing; we see this through the use of the side story, which
develops as the video progresses. The story and lyrics link with each other and
follow what is being said to what is happening. It begins with a group of
cheerleaders stood smiling and grinning, repeatedly cross cutting back to Hayley
throughout the video. Interrupted as a middle aged women pushes through the
doors making a statement and knocking the girls out
of the way as she storms down the corridor, coming into contact with a younger
girl, completely different to her as we see this in the choice of costume. Smiling at
her she then cuts of her hair and stands proud grinning from her cruel act,
switching back to Hayley with moments of flashing lights, then back to the
women who walks up to another girl on her destruction rampage pushing a boy
with his arm in a sling into the lockers, and then the face of a girls boyfriend
whilst kissing him in front of her. The increase of chaos in the performance of
2. Hayley and her band, with the use of flashing lighting, guitars are on the ground,
and the camera is turned upside down is a direct link to what is going on in the
scene. The climax to the story is that the two parallel narratives interact with
each other and become one.
Audience:
The audience could relate to this video very well from the choice of themes used
and the narrative, mainly young girls or women who have been in this position.
Watching someone come and snatch their boyfriend from him or her in high
school or interfering their relationship.
Representation:
Having the word ‘RIOT!’ wrote all over the walls in the opening shots where
they’re performing, suggests that this is not going to be a typical pop hit. The
song itself could be personal and represent about a girl (most likely Hayley) with
a steady boyfriend who thought he would never leave her, until another girl
comes along and snatches him away.
"When I thought he was mine she caught him by the mouth." Or about a popular
girl who ruined a friend's live stealing her boyfriend with sex, her sexuality to get
what she wanted, this could be shown through the use of seductive clothing that
the women is wearing, a low cut short dress with cleavage on show, dark eyeand
maroon lips.