The document discusses and analyzes the music video for the song "Black Mirror" using Goodwin's music video theory. It summarizes the plot and key visual elements of the video. The video begins with shots of a boat on the sea and uses film effects to make the footage look old and from the 1940s. Costumes also reflect this time period. Characters appear to be trying to escape from the war. The protagonist faces his fears by swimming to a giant head and entering a surreal world. Dancers later appear wearing the same color, disguising them as shapes moving to the beat. Overall the video takes an experimental, unique approach typical of indie music videos.

2. As the songs starts the lyrics work in sync
with the visuals, which can be referenced to
Goodwin’s music video theory. “Waking
from a nightmare” and then suddenly a
monster head appears followed by a man
awaking thus linking them together. The
effect of this visual allows the audience to
feel tense and gives the music video an
aspect of horror to it revealing it is likely to
have a narrative of a horror story. The
music video tends to go against Goodwin’s
analysis by not featuring the band and
abandoning close up shots. This separates
the bands image from the music and
conveys they are more interesting in
performing than achieving fame.

3. Black mirror opens with a long shot and a
view of the sea can be seen. The camera
then tilts up to reveal a boat which is
highlighted by the use of an effect which
blacks out the corners, putting the boat in
full view, giving an impression the
audience is viewing the boat through a
telescope. The use of this dark dingy
effects has connotations of the past and
reflects old footage from the 1940's.
Already the video displays the conventions
of an indie music video, applying
Goodwin’s theory to the video, by using
an effect to alter the appearance and
atmosphere of the video to make the
audience feel they are in the past.

4. The same fish eyed effect to
black the edges is used again
to emphasis the notion of
looking. This places the
audience in a position where
they are looking down into the
scene through something like a
telescope with a limited
view, forcing a focus on certain
objects. This allows the
audience to feel separated from
the characters as they are not
involved with them and are
instead ,in a sense, spying on
them.

5. From the costume choices of the
characters in the video it appears
they are dressed to look like they
are from a later date preferably
the 1940’s. This works in sync
with the row boats to give
connotations of the war which
took place in the 40’s to suggest
they are trying to escape it. This
could also be why the colour black
is used to both make the video
look old fashioned and also
connoted unhappiness whilst
relating to the lyrics of the song
“black mirror.”

6. The protagonist of the video jumps
into the sea and starts swimming
towards this giant head from his
nightmare which gives an
impression that the video is based
upon facing your fears. The sight of
the head appears extremely
unusual and adds to the
convention of indie videos being
different and unique. The
protagonist swims into the mouth
and enters an alterative reality
which could be him entering into a
world of his nightmares as the the
first thing he is faced with is a tribe
of triangular headed people with
pitch forks.

7. The camera is tilted over the head
of the protagonist and is
submerged into a cloud of white.
Dancers then appear who are
performing an in sync dance
routine which choreographs with
the beat of the song. By dressing
these dancers all in the same
colour it looks interesting as it
disguises them as people and
makes them look more like moving
shapes than people. This is used
as a creative technique and is a
convention of the indie genre to
use experimentation in music
videos.